Indian Journalist with $100,000 Columbia Scholarship Denied US Visa Due to Social Media Vetting

Kaushik Raj, a 27-year-old journalist from Delhi, had his American dream shattered despite securing a $100,000 (approximately Rs 89 lakh) scholarship for a master's degree in data journalism at Columbia University. The United States immigration department ultimately denied his student visa application.

After completing all required visa formalities including the interview, Raj believes his rejection stemmed from scrutiny of his social media presence. Under the Trump administration, social media vetting has become a standard component of the visa selection process.

In his conversation with The Washington Post, Raj stated he maintained a relatively low social media profile and "refrained from publicizing his personal feelings about hot-button global issues, such as Israel's war in Gaza."

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that throughout his four-year journalistic career, his focus on reporting hate crimes was reflected in his social media activity.

Raj was scheduled to begin his semester at Columbia University in August. Around this time, he received notification from the US Embassy in New Delhi that his application had been rejected.

The rejection letter stated that Raj, despite being born and raised in India, had failed to demonstrate sufficient ties to his home country that would "compel" him to return after completing his studies in the United States. Notably, the letter made no reference to his online presence.

However, Raj maintains, "It was clearly because they had gone through my social media."

"I will apply to the UK now," he informed the American publication.

Raj's experience is not isolated. Three other Indian students interviewed by The Washington Post recounted similar situations. All reported completing every other aspect of the application process, only to face rejection following social media vetting. Each student was informed that US authorities could not verify they had strong enough ties to India, despite having lived their entire lives there.

In June, the United States announced that all applicants for F, M, or J non-immigrant visas must set their social media account privacy settings to 'public' to facilitate the vetting process necessary to establish identity and admissibility under US law.

F or M category visas are for students, while J category is for exchange visitors.

Washington defends social media vetting as essential for national security. According to White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, the screening helps identify applicants who might pose threats or attempt to undermine US foreign policy interests.

The United States issued nearly one-fifth fewer student visas in August following President Donald Trump's crackdown, with a particularly steep decline for India, which was surpassed by China as the top country of origin, according to data released Monday.

In August, the most common start month for US universities, 313,138 student visas were issued, representing a 19.1 percent decrease from the same month in 2024, as reported by the International Trade Commission.

India, previously the leading source of foreign students to the United States, experienced the most dramatic reduction with 44.5 percent fewer student visas issued compared to the previous year.