Visa reviews: US adds 3 new groups to online background vetting from October 1. Check details

Starting October 1, foreign journalists, Mexican and Canadian professionals, and their accompanying dependents will face mandatory public social media reviews when applying for US non-immigrant visas.

The US Department of State announced an expansion of its mandatory online presence screening, bringing I, TN, and TD visa classifications under routine digital scrutiny. Applicants under these categories will be required to set their privacy settings across platforms like LinkedIn, X, and Instagram to "public" or "open" to facilitate consular vetting prior to entry.

MUST READ | H-1B visa: Trump admin extends $100,000 employer fee till Sept 2027, tightens job-replacement rules

The newly added categories cover specific groups operating under temporary status:

• I Visas: Issued to foreign media representatives — including foreign journalists, reporters, and film crews — entering the US for news gathering or educational media activities on behalf of overseas organisations.  
• TN Visas: Designated for qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens performing specialized professional services under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).  
• TD Visas: Granted to spouses and unmarried minor children accompanying primary TN visa holders.  

The State Department maintained that every visa adjudication is inherently a national security decision, framing the expansion as a vital measure to identify potentially inadmissible individuals who may pose a threat to public safety or national security. Consular officials will review publicly visible activity to verify that information matches official documentation and that applicants demonstrate genuine intent to comply with visa conditions.

DON'T MISS | US visa rules tighten: Indian students hit hardest, face 62% drop in F-1 approvals; new stay curbs

While the US government has requested social media handles on application forms since 2019, compulsory public access builds on earlier policy expansions that already enforce screening for H-1B skilled workers, F-1 and M-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and various diplomatic and humanitarian classifications.

Immigration experts note that while no specific list of prohibited content has been issued, the requirement introduces added practical friction. The extra operational burden of evaluating public digital footprints is expected to increase administrative processing times, potentially leading to scarcer appointment slots and unexpected delays for media organizations and cross-border businesses moving personnel into the US.