The United States Embassy in the Philippines has announced a new requirement for nonimmigrant visa applicants under the F, M, and J categories—primarily students and exchange visitors—to set their social media accounts to public.
According to the embassy, the move aims to support identity verification and ensure applicants do not pose a risk to U.S. national security. “We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States,” it stated.
The U.S. government has required visa applicants to submit their social media identifiers since 2019, but new guidelines from the State Department now mandate that these accounts be publicly viewable. The enhanced measure is designed to allow for screening of online behavior, including potential anti-American sentiments.
A senior State Department official emphasized, “The enhanced social media vetting will ensure we are properly screening every single person attempting to visit our country.”
Visa processing for foreign students was briefly suspended at the end of May as the new guidelines were finalized. With the policy now in place, appointments are resuming.
In a related development, the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year noted it would examine applicants’ social media activity for antisemitic content—another factor that could lead to visa denial.
The United States has been reviewing social media activity as part of visa screening for over a decade, but this latest requirement marks a significant tightening of the process for those seeking to study or train in the U.S.
