The United States has announced that it will extend mandatory social media screening to three additional visa categories from October 1. The expanded vetting will cover I visas, issued to foreign journalists, broadcasters, and film or print media professionals travelling to the US temporarily to report for an overseas outlet. This move is part of a broader effort to identify applicants who may pose national security risks.
The State Department confirmed that the expanded online screening forms are part of a broader effort to identify applicants who may pose national security risks. The three new visa categories will join a lengthy list of classifications already subject to social media checks under the existing regime. The I visa category includes journalists and media workers whose reporting must be informational or educational in nature and whose employing outlet must be based outside the United States.
Under the TN visa category, eligible applicants require a pre-arranged job offer and must meet the occupational requirements set out under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Holding residency in Canada or Mexico alone is not sufficient for eligibility. The TD category is open to dependants of TN holders regardless of nationality, distinguishing it from the primary TN classification.
All applicants in these three groups will be required to adjust the privacy settings on every social media account they hold so that their content is visible to the public. The State Department stated that social media review is one element of a wider screening process drawing on all available information to identify applicants who may be inadmissible on national security or public safety grounds.
The department reiterated that every visa determination is fundamentally a national security matter, with applicants expected to demonstrate eligibility and intent to comply with the conditions of their admission. A US visa "remains a privilege granted at the government's discretion, not an entitlement." This move continues a trend of progressively widening the online vetting framework that US immigration authorities have built over recent years.
The three newly added categories join a considerable range of visa classes already subject to social media inspection. These include F-1 and M-1 student visa holders and their dependants, H-1B and H-3 applicants along with 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 classifications, Q visas for cultural exchange participants, R-1 and R-2 visas for religious workers and their families, and the S, T, and U categories covering informants, witnesses, and victims of crime.
Meanwhile, new US green card rules have been implemented, including the public charge rule, which gives immigration officers broader powers to assess applicants' use of government benefits. Applicants could now face scrutiny over benefits received or applied for by family members, including US citizen children. This expanded assessment could affect decisions on thousands of permanent residency applications.
Key points
- The US will require I, TN, and TD visa applicants to make all their social media profiles publicly visible.
- The expanded vetting will cover I visas, TN visas, and TD visas.
- The move is part of a broader effort to identify applicants who may pose national security risks.
