The United States will extend mandatory social media screening to three additional visa categories starting October 1. Foreign journalists, USMCA professionals, and their dependants are among those who will face the new vetting requirements. The State Department confirmed that applicants must set all social media accounts to public before their applications can be processed. This move is part of a broader effort to enhance national security and public safety.
The new rules cover three visa categories: I, TN, and TD visas. The I visa category applies to foreign journalists, broadcasters, and film or print media professionals travelling temporarily to the United States to report for an outlet based outside the country. The work must be informational or educational in nature. TN visas are available to qualifying Canadian and Mexican nationals taking up temporary professional employment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Applicants for TN visas must hold a pre-arranged job offer and meet specific occupational requirements outlined under the agreement. Residency in Canada or Mexico alone does not establish eligibility. The TD category covers spouses and unmarried minor children of TN holders, and unlike the primary TN classification, it is open to dependants regardless of nationality. All three groups will be required to adjust the privacy settings on every social media profile they hold so that their content is accessible to the public before their applications can proceed.
The State Department described social media review as one component of a broader screening process designed to identify applicants who may be inadmissible on national security or public safety grounds. To support this vetting process, all applicants for I, TD, and TN nonimmigrant visas are instructed to set the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public' or 'open.' Officials also emphasised that every visa determination is treated as a national security matter, with applicants expected to demonstrate both eligibility and their intent to comply with admission conditions.
The department reiterated that a US visa "remains a privilege granted at the government's discretion, not an entitlement." The three newly added categories join a substantial list of visa classes already subject to social media inspection. Existing classifications under the framework include F-1 and M-1 student visas and their dependants, H-1B and H-3 applicants alongside H-4 dependants, J-1 and J-2 exchange visitors, A-3, G-5, and C-3 domestic worker visas, K-1, K-2, and K-3 categories, Q visas for cultural exchange participants, R-1 and R-2 visas for religious workers, and the S, T, and U classifications covering informants, witnesses, and crime victims.
The October expansion represents the latest step in a progressive widening of the online vetting framework that US immigration authorities have developed over recent years. In a related development, the US has listed conditions under which citizens of various countries can skip the in-person interview. The update lists specific nonimmigrant visa categories eligible for interview waivers at US embassies and consulates around the world.
The new social media vetting requirements are part of a larger effort to enhance national security and public safety. The requirements apply to applicants from various countries, including Ghana. The US embassy or consulate will provide further guidance on the application process. Applicants can check the US Department of State's website for more information on visa requirements and application procedures.
Key points
- The US is expanding social media vetting to three new visa categories from October 1.
- Applicants must set all social media accounts to public before their applications can be processed.
- The new rules cover I, TN, and TD visa categories, including foreign journalists, USMCA professionals, and their dependants.
