The phone lines of education consulting firms haven’t stopped ringing since late May. What used to be routine calls about university applications and scholarship opportunities have turned into frantic consultations about digital footprints and social media audits.
Rozy Eflaz, co-founder of Invest4Edu, a student advisory firm, said they’ve been coaching students on how to manage their online presence. "We tell them to avoid resharing unverified content or posting anything impulsively," she said, adding that a “self-audit of digital behaviour is now a must” especially for students whose coursework involves personal branding or social projects.
The reality of education consulting in the age of America's social media surveillance has starkly changed. The firms that focused on helping students pursue the American dream now find themselves tempering expectations and coaching young Indians through an increasingly treacherous digital landscape.
The transformation began when the US government abruptly paused all new student visa interview appointments in late May, citing a system update. While officials framed it as routine administrative maintenance, education consultancies quickly realised this was part of a broader crackdown on applicant screening, particularly around social media activity.
By June 23, their suspicions were confirmed. The US Embassy in India announced that all applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas, covering academic students, vocational learners, and exchange visitors, would now be required to make their social media accounts public. What was once a quiet background check became front and centre scrutiny.
The policy shift sparked widespread concern about privacy, freedom of speech, and political expression.
For education consultancies, this policy shift has meant a complete overhaul of their advisory services. They've become informal helplines for panicked students and parents, fielding the same question repeatedly: is studying in the US still worth it?
Digital Reputation Management 101
The coaching now extends far beyond essays and entrance exams. Eflaz noted that students are encouraged to showcase academic or community work via blogs or YouTube—but it must align perfectly with what they claim in their applications.
"We do advise deleting specific posts if they seem inconsistent or controversial. Keeping your profile public and voicing strong opinions can come with consequences," she explained.
Even platforms like LinkedIn, she added, are closely scrutinised by admissions officers and visa officials. "Unlike in India, social media is taken very seriously abroad."
While they haven’t introduced separate pricing for social media auditing, she clarified, such guidance is already woven into the broader profile-building process.
This level of digital vetting may not be entirely new, but consultancies report it's now deeper and more unforgiving.
Raju Datla, Managing Director of Delhi-based consultancy Infinite Group, recalled that even during the Obama era, officials checked social media for extremist content. “But it’s much more structured and rigorous now,” he said.
The consultancies believe that the ongoing scenario will impact businesses like theirs to a “certain extent”. It’s already hurting them. “Student numbers have dropped by almost 80%,” Datla added.
Data backs this: March to July are typically the busiest for students preparing to begin their studies in the Fall semester. This year, only 9,906 Indian students were issued F-1 between March and May. That is a 27% drop from the same period in 2024 and the lowest since the pandemic. The numbers are even lower than in 2022 (10,894), when post-Covid travel had just resumed. In comparison, the number stood at 14,987 in 2023 and 13,478 in 2024.
The New Red Flags
What's changed, Datla added, is that officials are now also checking for seriousness and intent. For example, if a student interacts with job-related posts before even landing in the U.S., that alone could raise a red flag.
"They assume the student isn't coming to study," he explained.
Students applying to community colleges or Day 1 CPT (Curricular Practical Training) colleges—where they can start working with minimal class attendance—are under particular scrutiny. "The administration is very serious about these cases," he said. Those seen as using education merely as a pathway to early employment are far more likely to face rejections.
The consultancies are having to navigate an increasingly complex web of digital don'ts. What was once a space for creativity and connection—social media—now seems a liability for their clients.
The result: growing hesitation among Indian students. Rishi (name changed), a fresh graduate from one of India's top universities, had long harboured a dream shared by thousands of ambitious young Indians every year: studying in the United States. But now, that dream sits quietly on the shelf.
Just a few months ago, he was shortlisting post-graduate programmes, hunting for scholarships, and prepping for entrance exams. Today, he's hesitating. "It's not just about checking our social media accounts," he said. "It raises a bigger concern about academic freedom and being forced into surveillance."
Rishi has dropped his plans for now. His friends, who did apply, have been waiting for a visa appointment date for weeks now. "There is so much uncertainty," he added.
For someone who takes pride in being politically aware and vocal online, the requirement feels deeply intrusive. "Why should I be forced to make my Facebook profile public?" he asked, referring to an account he barely uses. "I have a right to keep my opinions private. Just because I share my views on global politics or domestic issues, doesn't mean I should be flagged."
Rishi isn't alone. Many prospective students now fear that political posts, memes, or even harmless tweets could be misinterpreted, potentially delaying or derailing their visa process. For them, the US—once a beacon of academic freedom—now feels both distant and distrustful.
"The message feels clear," Rishi said. "It's like they're telling us we're not welcome. I've started looking at Europe and Singapore now."
Even students who managed to secure visas before the new rules worry about continued surveillance. Sahil (name changed) managed to secure his visa just before the new rules kicked in. While he is relieved to be heading to his dream university and pursuing the course he always wanted, the sense of unease hasn't quite left him.
"Even though I got the visa, I am not sure the monitoring will stop," he said. "It feels like we'll still be under the scanner—what we post, what we say online. That makes it hard to fully feel free, even on campus."
Students who applied for their visas before the new policy took effect are also growing anxious. Ananya (name changed), admitted to a US university where classes begin in August, has been waiting weeks for a visa appointment. With time running out, she fears she may have to cancel her plans altogether.
"It's definitely a blow to privacy and freedom of speech," she said. Ananya doesn't post anything political or controversial—her social media mostly features personal photos. "But why should I be forced to make them public? We all know how easily photos can be misused or taken out of context."
Digital rights experts have echoed these concerns. Sophia Cope, Senior Staff Attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based non-profit digital rights group, said the requirement violates basic privacy norms. Many people, she pointed out, choose to keep their social media accounts private to share personal content only with trusted family and friends.
Cope warned that penalising students for protecting their privacy—or for not being active on social media at all—is deeply troubling. "It's prone to errors and misinterpretation and hasn't even been proven effective in assessing security threats," she said, calling it a dangerous and unjustified practice that chills free speech and undermines academic freedom.
Meanwhile, defending the directive, US Senator Marco Rubio said, “If you’re coming to the US not just to write op-eds, but to participate in movements that vandalise universities or create a ruckus, we’re not going to give you a visa.”
For students like Rishi and Ananya, the dream hasn't died—it's simply being rewritten. And for the first time, they're no longer sure if that dream is still spelled U.S.A. The education consultancies that once promised to make those dreams come true are now helping students navigate a far more complex question: in an era of digital surveillance, what dreams are worth pursuing, and at what cost?