The Trump administration has ordered US embassies around the world to pause scheduling new visa interviews for foreign students.
The State Department instructed embassies abroad, including in Ireland, to halt student or exchange visitor visa appointments - such as for F, M and J visa programmes - until further guidance is issued.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the cable that the department plans to issue updated guidance on social media vetting of student and exchange visitor applicants after a review is completed and advised consular sections to halt the scheduling of such appointments.
The move comes as the Trump administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of its wide-ranging efforts to fulfill his hardline immigration agenda.
Around 5,000 Irish students avail of the J1 initiative every summer.
Most of those who have gone through the visa application process for this year will not be affected.
Students who have already scheduled their embassy interviews will also be exempt from the pause.
However, those applying in the coming days may experience a delay in the application process.
Politico first reported the notice and said that all foreign students applying to study in the United States are set to undergo increased social media vetting.
The administration had previously imposed some social media screening requirements, but those were largely aimed at returning students who may have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs updated travel advice for Irish citizens visiting the US, warning of possible "serious consequences" for those who fail to cooperate with border officials or provide inaccurate information.
Officials said that failure to adhere to immigration law could lead to refusal of entry at the border, detention and possible removal from the US.
Mr Trump's critics have called the effort an attack on free speech rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
