Social Media Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants

What you should know about expanded, mandatory social media screening with recommended dos and dont's

Man with phone showing showing media icons

By Amy Tran, Immigration Paralegal

August 2025

On June 18, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) instructed consulates worldwide to implement a mandatory expansion of social media vetting for certain visa applicants. The new vetting procedures will apply to all foreign nationals who apply for F visas, which are primarily for academic students, as well as M visas for vocational students, and J visas that are designed for educational and cultural exchanges. 

While the new procedures apply to all foreign nationals who apply for F, M, and J visas, other categories such as (H-1B, L-1, K-1, etc.) may soon face similar public content access requirements. This expansion is a key part of the Trump Administration’s enhanced vetting and falls under Executive Order 14161, signed January 20, 2025, which mandates enhanced vetting across immigration processes.

What Does This Mean for Visa Applicants and What Are Officers Looking for?

In a cable sent to consulates worldwide – released by media outlets, but unconfirmed by DOS – consular officers will now be required to examine students’ social media profiles as part of their enhanced vetting and will be required to look to for:

  • Antisemitic content
  • Pro-terrorist sentiment
  • Violent political speech
  • Fraud or misrepresentation (such as inconsistent employment/school history)
  • Immigration intent on nonimmigrant visas

On June 25, 2025, the DOS Bureau of Consular Affairs posted this statement on X: 

"Every visa adjudication is a national security decision. All individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to ‘public’ to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law."

What Visa Applicants Should Know

Since 2019, the United States has required visa applicants to disclose social media handles from the past five years. A major recent change now mandates that that all F, M, and J visa applicants must adjust the privacy settings on all social media accounts to ‘public’ in addition to listing accounts on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms. This includes accounts on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, YouTube, and others. If accounts have been deleted or deactivated , visa applicants must be sure to clearly note this and maintain consistency across all platforms. In line with current DOS policy, failure to make social media accounts public can result in serious consequences, including visa denial or administrative processing.

Do the New Enhanced Vetting Procedures Impact Visa Appointment Scheduling and Availability?

DOS temporarily halted new F, M, and J visa appointments on May 27, 2025 to prepare for the enhanced social media screening, and resumed scheduling around June 26, 2025, once the new guidance was in place. It is likely that processing capacity may be reduced due to the resource-intensive nature of the expanded screening requirements. This may translate into longer appointment wait and visa processing times. Visa applicants should continue to check the U.S. embassy's appointment system to try to secure an appointment. In addition to delays created by the increased initial vetting processes, many applicants—particularly F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors—are now subject to administrative processing under INA §221(g) as well. This creates a backlog, further extending both interview and visa issuance timelines.

Tips On How to Protect Your Visa Application Status and Remain Compliant

DO:

  • Maintain Regular Contact with your DSO (for Students)
  • Keep social media posts apolitical
  • Be prepared to explain old posts if they could be misinterpreted
  • Document and maintain a list of all social media handles for reference (present and previously deleted)

DON’T:

  • Delete or hide accounts before visa interviews
  • Post or share political content that could be deemed extremist, violent, or controversial
  • Misstate employment, coursework, or travel plans on any public platform
  • Assume private posts won’t be found — AI tools may still be able to access hidden content

For more information, please contact your Parker Gallini immigration attorney.