The US issues and then cancels Vietnamese student visa interviews

On the afternoon of June 10, many people said they had successfully registered for student visa interview appointments at the US Embassy in Hanoi, but shortly after that, they suddenly received cancellation notices.

An applicant successfully registered for a US student visa interview appointment on the afternoon of June 10, but a few hours later, he suddenly received a cancellation notice for unknown reasons.

PHOTO: NVCC

Stop student visa interview appointment

Directors of several study abroad companies in Vietnam have confirmed this information to Thanh Nien . Ms. Dang Thi Thu Hien, Director of IEF Vietnam Study Abroad Consulting Company in Da Nang, said that at around 2 p.m. today (June 10), the visa interview registration portal at the US Embassy in Hanoi suddenly reopened. "At that time, the system only opened the August schedule, not June and July, but the number of empty schedules filled up very quickly," Ms. Hien said.

Immediately, Ms. Hien successfully registered her student with a scheduled appointment date of August 8. The female director thought that everything was done so she could prepare for the next step, but at nearly 5 p.m., she suddenly received a cancellation notice. "Your US visa appointment on August 8, 2025... has been canceled," the email said, but did not specify the reason for the cancellation or the expected time to reopen.

This means that the incident of granting and then canceling the student visa interview schedule only took place within a few hours.

"So it's back to the way it was a few days ago," said Ms. Hien, adding that the US student visa appointment registration portal now displays the message "No more available appointments" like many days ago - since the US suddenly stopped issuing student visa interview appointments globally, including Vietnam.

The same thing happened to Ms. Tran Thi Dan, founder and operator of Sunrise Vietnam Study Abroad Consulting Company (Hanoi). "Their registration system is still unstable, so please stay calm," Ms. Dan reassured, adding that she knew about the reopening of the registration portal because she regularly visited the registration portal, but there was no official announcement from the US Embassy in Hanoi, either through the website or social networks.

Meanwhile, in the southern region, applicants have not yet been able to schedule student visa interviews with the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Vincent Buu Hien, Director of Bao Nguyet Bayneto Company (Ho Chi Minh City), said that this is making many Vietnamese students worried, because this time of year is the peak time for applying for US student visas to prepare for the fall admission period, which usually begins in August.

Another Thanh Nien source said the system opened the schedule for student visa interviews in August from the 4th, but the vacancies were quickly filled.

PHOTO: NVCC

What to do now?

In the face of this unusual incident, experts unanimously advise students to regularly update the website, even late at night (because it is daytime in the US at this time - PV) and to register for an appointment as soon as possible so as not to miss out on their study abroad plans. "These days, I also have to stay awake day and night for customers. Like today, there was no opening early in the morning, and there was no opening at 10 o'clock, but by the afternoon there was, I had to notify the students immediately," Ms. Hien said.

Ms. Hien added that the US usually does not charge an additional fee when applicants change their student visa interview appointment, so students should book any available date on the system and then request to change to another available date that suits them if the schedule expands. "Make sure to book first, then change it later," Ms. Hien noted.

According to study abroad experts, up to now, the consular department has asked for the applicant's social media account information in the DS-160 form (study visa application - PV). Therefore, when applying for a study visa, students should honestly declare in this section, and should not fill in fake or unregistered account information because if discovered, it will affect not only this interview but also the next ones.

"On social networks, you should also not post or share news about US politics or negative information related to this country. At the same time, show that you really want to study in the US and not for any other reason, perhaps by posting pictures of happy moments with your family to show your ties and attachment to your family and country," Ms. Hien advised.

Meanwhile, Ms. Dan reminded students to be polite when participating in social networks because what they say in the virtual environment also reflects their true face. "In the case that applicants often speak too much or have many inappropriate behaviors online, they are likely to be denied a US student visa. The problem lies in the way they express themselves, not forcing themselves to constantly share their status online," the female director advised.

"During the suspension of interview appointments, the US side can develop algorithms or technical expertise to check candidates' online statements. Sometimes when we send messages on Messenger, they can still read them, so use social networks in a civilized manner, even in closed groups. Don't think that because it is a virtual network, we have the right to say anything," Ms. Dan added.

Student visa interview schedules quickly filled up, however all applicants were said to have received cancellation notices from the US consulate on the same day, June 10.

PHOTO: NVCC

Another noteworthy point, according to experts, is that the US has also stopped accepting student visa extension applications from Vietnamese people. Therefore, Mr. Vincent advises Vietnamese students to consider returning to Vietnam at this time only if their visa is still valid, so that they can safely re-enter the US. "Please note that expired visas are still allowed to stay in the US," said the expert with more than 25 years of experience in the field of immigration law consulting in the US and Canada.

"The US may soon reopen the issuance of interview schedules and student visa extensions in the next few days because summer is a very 'hot' time," Mr. Vincent predicted.

The incident of the US granting and then canceling visa interviews for Vietnamese people occurred on the same day that the US State Department directed to continue processing visas for groups of international students and scholars at Harvard University. This happened because a federal judge in Boston last week temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's ban on foreign students studying at the school.

Previously, in response to Thanh Nien , a spokesperson for the US State Department said that the consular department (in charge of reviewing and issuing visas - PV) continuously adjusted its work schedule to ensure that there was enough time to carefully review the cases at hand. "Visa applicants can still continue to submit their applications," the spokesperson affirmed amid reports that the country had "temporarily suspended issuing student visas."

Regarding the issue of the US temporarily suspending the issuance of student visa interview appointments as reported by Thanh Nien , the spokesperson did not directly mention this story, but said that the US State Department's arrangement of non-immigrant visa interview schedules (including many types of visas that allow foreign citizens to enter the US for a certain period of time with a specific purpose, including studying - PV) is "flexible".

"The processing capacity of an embassy or consulate reflects the time required for consular officers to fully review each case before them and to comply with U.S. law," a State Department spokesperson said in late May.

According to statistics from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in 2023, there were 31,310 Vietnamese studying in the US, ranking 6th in the number of international students. This is the first time the number of Vietnamese studying in the US has reached more than 30,000 after 2 years below 30,000. However, if we consider the number of students in schools from kindergarten to high school, Vietnam is the 5th largest with 3,187 people, behind China, South Korea, Mexico and Spain.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/my-cap-roi-lai-huy-lich-phong-van-visa-du-hoc-cua-nguoi-viet-18525061021451017.htm