US Expands Visa Vetting, Requires Public Social Media

By Val Matthias. Updated 12:04 p.m., Monday, December 15, 2025, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The United States Department of State has announced that beginning December 15, applicants for H‑1B skilled worker visas and their dependents under the H‑4 category will be required to make their social media accounts publicly accessible as part of an expanded vetting process.

This measure extends a policy already applied to students and exchange visitors in the F, M, and J classifications, who have been subject to online presence reviews since June 2025. The Department explained that the change is intended to strengthen national security by ensuring that visa applicants credibly establish their eligibility and that their planned activities align with the terms of admission.

Officials emphasized that every visa adjudication is a national security decision and reiterated that a U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right. 

The requirement builds on earlier steps taken in 2019, when visa application forms DS‑160 and DS‑260 were updated to collect social media identifiers from applicants. At that time, the Department stated that social media information would be used alongside other data to identify individuals who might pose risks to public safety or national interests. The June 2025 expansion formalized mandatory online presence reviews for student and exchange visitor categories, and the December 2025 update now brings H‑1B and H‑4 applicants under the same framework. 

The Department of State has said that it uses all available information in visa screening and vetting to identify applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who may pose a threat to national security. By requiring applicants to adjust privacy settings to public, officials argue that the process becomes more transparent and allows for thorough review of online activity. The policy reflects a broader trend of governments tightening control over digital identity and online behaviour, with the United States framing its approach around vigilance and security. 

For applicants, the implications are significant. Skilled workers and their families must now ensure that their social media accounts are accessible during the application process, raising questions about privacy and the balance between individual rights and collective security.

While the Department insists that the expanded vetting is necessary to protect Americans and safeguard national interests, critics are likely to point to concerns about surveillance, data protection, and the erosion of personal privacy in the visa process. 

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The information was sourced from: Travel. State. Gov.