U.S Expands Mandatory Social Media Vetting to 3 Visa Categories
- The US Department of State announced it will extend online presence screening to three additional nonimmigrant visa categories from October 1
- Applicants for I, TN, and TD visas must set all their social media profiles to public to support the new vetting process
- The expansion builds on existing screening already applied to students, temporary workers, religious workers, and several other visa categories
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Wasington, DC, USA - The US Department of State has announced it will widen its social media screening programme to cover applicants in three more nonimmigrant visa categories, with the change taking effect on October 1, 2026.
From that date, individuals applying for I visas (foreign media representatives), TN visas (professionals under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement), and TD visas (dependents of TN holders) will be subject to the same online presence review already applied to several other visa categories.
Source: UGC
The Department of State announced the change in an updated statement issued via its website on Friday, September 18, 2026.
Who must make social media profiles public
As part of the expanded vetting, all applicants in the I, TN, and TD categories are required to set the privacy settings on every social media account they hold to "public" or "open."
The department said this step is needed to allow officials to carry out the online review process effectively.
Visa categories already under review
The new announcement adds to a vetting framework that has been in place for a range of existing visa types.
Categories already subject to online presence screening include diplomatic and official visa subcategories A-3, C-3 (where the applicant is a domestic worker).
G-5; student visas F-1, M-1, F-2, and M-2; temporary worker and trainee categories H-1B, H-3, and H-4; exchange visitor visas J-1 and J-2; fiancé and dependent visas K-1, K-2, and K-3.
International cultural exchange visa Q; religious occupation visas R-1 and R-2; and visas issued to witnesses, informants, and victims under the S, T, and U classifications.
The department said it draws on every available source of information during the visa screening process to identify applicants who may be inadmissible to the United States, including those considered a risk to national security or public safety.
In its announcement, the department said:
"Every visa adjudication is fundamentally a national security decision. The United States remains vigilant throughout the visa issuance process to confirm that applicants do not intend to cause harm to Americans or threaten U.S. interests, and that each applicant can credibly demonstrate eligibility for the visa requested — including a genuine intent to abide by the terms of admission."
The department also noted that receiving a US visa is a privilege granted at the government's discretion and not a right that applicants are entitled to claim.
Source: Twitter
US expands social media checks to more visa categories
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the United States planned to expand visa screening to include social media checks starting March 30, 2026.
The new US visa requirement mandates applicants to set their social media accounts to public for scrutiny.
The US State Department explains that additional visa categories are now subject to rigorous online presence reviews.
Source: Legit.ng
