US Embassy announces new social media requirement for visa applicants

The US embassy in Port of Spain. - File photo

The US Embassy in Port of Spain announced on December 10 that individuals applying for H1-B and H4 non-immigrant visas must now adjust their social media accounts to public settings to facilitate screening.

“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an H1‑B or H4 non-immigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to ‘public’ to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under US law,” the embassy posted on X.

The message was accompanied by a graphic stating: “Every US visa adjudication is a national security decision. The United States requires visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on visa application forms. We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting.”

The requirement builds on rules introduced in 2019, when the US government began asking most visa applicants to list their social media identifiers.

The new directive goes further by requiring applicants to make their accounts publicly viewable during the application process.

The embassy said the change is part of more expansive national security screening measures. H1‑B visas are typically granted to skilled workers, while H4 visas cover their dependents.