"Is it okay for a presidential administration to go back and say we want to make sure that we're being thorough in terms of vetting the people that come in? You kind of want a government to do that to make sure that they're doing the right thing. Whether or not this pause is going to extend for an indefinite period of time, that's where it becomes really problematic," said Rishi Oza, a Partner at Brown Immigration Law in Durham.
The UNC graduate said the practice has seen an uptick in requests from students over the past several months, a trend that has also played out at their other offices across the country.
"We're getting way more phone calls for really things that were considered pretty mundane before, such as travel, getting a visa renewed, what's going to happen to somebody's status once they graduate," Oza explained.
The Trump administration said the visa application process will now include expanded screening of social media activity.
"To the extent that they're going to enhance that by looking at some of the social media, some of that was already happening or should have been happening. The administration hasn't been particularly clear as to what exactly it means to go through enhanced or stricter enforcement," Oza explained.
Oza said they've advised students against posting online.
"Can the government do it? Sure, the government can do it. Is that what we want as a country? I think that's an entirely separate question," Oza said.
The issue has gained greater attention in the aftermath of the Hamas October 7th attacks in Israel, which, in conjunction with Israel's military response and the ongoing war in Gaza, have sparked protests on college campuses.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a US official said the pause in visa interview scheduling is temporary and does not impact interviews that have already been scheduled.
Asked about the suspension at a briefing Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. uses every available resource to vet people applying for visas.
"We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that's coming here, whether they are students or otherwise," Bruce said.
"If it's going to last for weeks on end, you're going to have a real downstream consequence," said Oza, who noted that consulates typically process student visa applications quickly.
According to NAFSA, in 2023, there were 24,468 international students enrolled in North Carolina universities and colleges. Of that figure, more than half attended schools in the Triangle.
"Institutions have missions that they are attempting to deliver on and having a student body that includes a diverse set of students from all over the country, all over the world with different backgrounds, contributes to the educational opportunity for all students. Certainly at the graduate level, looking for the best and the brightest to go on to Ph.D. programs so that they can contribute to research and innovation is incredibly important," explained Catharine Hill, Managing Director with Ithaka S&R, a research and consulting non-profit which focuses on higher education.
The NAFSA report noted that those international students had an economic benefit of nearly $914.5 million, and supported just under 8,700 jobs. Past that, they often serve as a valuable source of funding for universities.
"There are many schools in the United States that rely on international students for tuition revenue, and that is incredibly important. It's going to be important going forward. It's been important partly because states have cut back on their support for public education and some schools have responded by recruiting international students to make up some of that revenue and support their programs," Hill explained.
Broadly, she believes the general climate surrounding international students will be felt.
"I think we're going to see a drop off in international students, regardless of how the policies play out over the next six to 12 months. I think international students are going to be worried about their ability to complete their degrees if they come here," Hill said.
In a statement, UNC Media Relations tells ABC11:
Carolina international students are integral to the vibrancy of our campus and to the University's academic excellence. There are more than 3,000 international students from more than 100 countries enrolled at Carolina this upcoming semester. The aggregate data on our newly enrolled Carolina class will not be available until later this fall. We recognize the challenges this policy change may pose to their educational aspirations and well-being.
While we are committed to complying with federal regulations, we also affirm our support for our international students. We will continue to provide guidance and support to our international students during this period of uncertainty. Our dedicated International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) team is available to support and assist with navigating these developments.
ABC11 News reached out to NC State and Duke for comment. They have not responded at this time.
A spokesperson for NC Central tells ABC11 they have no information to share regarding the topic.