US announces new visa screening rules that include checking social media posts of 6 categories of people before approval

• The US Department of State announced it will extend its social media vetting to cover three additional nonimmigrant visa categories from October 1, 2026
• Applicants for I, TN, and TD visas must set all their social media profiles to public to support the vetting process
• The new expansion adds to a list of visa categories already subject to online presence checks, including student, worker, and religious occupation visas

The United States Department of State has expanded its social media screening programme to cover more visa categories, requiring applicants in the newly added categories to make their online profiles publicly visible before they can be considered for entry into the country.

With effect from October 1, 2026, the expanded checks will apply to holders of I visas, which cover foreign media representatives, as well as TN visa holders, who are professionals from countries covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and their dependants, who hold TD visas.

Social media must be set to public

As part of the vetting process, all applicants for I, TN, and TD nonimmigrant visas are required to change the privacy settings on every social media account they hold to "public" or "open."

The instruction comes directly from the Department of State and is tied to its effort to carry out thorough background reviews of people seeking to enter the United States.

Visa categories already subject to social media vetting

The October 2026 announcement builds on a programme already in place for a broad range of visa categories. The following classifications were already undergoing social media screening before the latest expansion:

1. - Diplomatic and official visas: A-3, C-3 (domestic workers only), and G-5
2. - Student visas: F-1, M-1, F-2, and M-2
3. - Temporary worker and trainee visas: H-1B, H-3, and H-4 dependants of H-1B and H-3 holders
4. - Exchange visitor visas: J-1 and J-2
5. - Fiancé and dependant visas: K-1, K-2, and K-3
6. - International cultural exchange visas: Q
7. - Religious occupation visas: R-1 and R-2
8. - Witness, informant, and victim visas: S, T, and U

The addition of foreign media representatives and USMCA professionals signals that the US government is widening the scope of its digital background checks well beyond students and temporary workers.

Applicants in all affected categories are advised to review their social media privacy settings ahead of submitting or attending any visa appointment.

US ends routine passport stamps for travellers

Legit.ng earlier reported that the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced it will no longer routinely stamp passports during primary screening, the first checkpoint travellers pass through when entering the United States.

Source: Legit.ng

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