Social Media Screening and Vetting for all H‑1B principals and H‑4 dependents, in addition to existing checks for F, M, and J applicants
USCIS instructs to set all social‑media accounts to public so officers can scrutinize posts, activity, and other online information as part of national‑security vetting.
Key points from the announcement
Starting December 15, consular officers will conduct mandatory online‑presence review for all H‑1B principals and H‑4 dependents, in addition to existing checks for F, M, and J applicants. Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for H-1B and Dependent H-4 Visa Applicants Last Updated: December 3, 2025
Applicants are instructed to set all social‑media accounts to public so officers can scrutinize posts, activity, and other online information as part of national‑security vetting.
Guidance from practitioners predicts more intensive interviews, longer wait times, and higher refusal risk when posts are seen as anti‑American, extremist, or inconsistent with application materials.
Linkedin post from Vialto Law (US) LLP Partner
Why this is scary for applicants
If applicants know what kind of public online content involved in immigration screening, then it helps applicants to avoid inconsistency issues, which are a major trigger during social-media screening
Most applicants have years of unstructured content across LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Reddit, and YouTube, any part of which can be misread without context.
Officers are encouraged to draw negative inferences from missing, deleted, or private accounts, and even from perceived inconsistencies between social media and petitions or DS‑160 answers. Updated Social Media Disclosure Requirement for F, M, J Visa Applicants
There is no transparent scoring rubric, so applicants feel subject to opaque, subjective judgments that can derail careers and family plans. Legal advocates already warn about chilling effects on free expression and due‑process concerns.
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