Getting a US visa was never easy, but now, it might just hinge on your Instagram settings. In a new directive that’s raising eyebrows, the US State Department has said that applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas — mostly used by students and exchange visitors — must set their social media profiles to ‘public’ as part of the screening process.
“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant 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 U.S. law,” the department said. “We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to US national security.”
That means your posts, likes, comments, and even old memes, could now be scrutinised by immigration officers. Naturally, the internet had a lot to say. One Redditor quipped, “How do you set OnlyFans to public? 😅 I feel like this social media vetting is mostly a way for them to later deport people for inevitably forgetting to disclose some random account. What is social media? Steam? Your Fortnite handle?” Another joked, “But my data is already with the CIA.” Some took a more dystopian view: “So we really are in the TL where Big Brother is watching our every move. Students applying for a US visa have to have public social media accounts and they'll assess based on what you post whether you are worthy of a visa.” And then came the Gen Z punchline: “Imagine your F-1 hinging on that 2017 duck-face selfie you posted without knowing it’ll be a national security document someday. #StudentVisa #GenZProblems.”
{{/usCountry}}That means your posts, likes, comments, and even old memes, could now be scrutinised by immigration officers. Naturally, the internet had a lot to say. One Redditor quipped, “How do you set OnlyFans to public? 😅 I feel like this social media vetting is mostly a way for them to later deport people for inevitably forgetting to disclose some random account. What is social media? Steam? Your Fortnite handle?” Another joked, “But my data is already with the CIA.” Some took a more dystopian view: “So we really are in the TL where Big Brother is watching our every move. Students applying for a US visa have to have public social media accounts and they'll assess based on what you post whether you are worthy of a visa.” And then came the Gen Z punchline: “Imagine your F-1 hinging on that 2017 duck-face selfie you posted without knowing it’ll be a national security document someday. #StudentVisa #GenZProblems.”
{{/usCountry}}The F visa is issued to academic students at universities or colleges, M visas go to those enrolled in technical or vocational programs, and the J visa applies to exchange visitors in cultural and educational programs. But let’s be honest, no one thought a TikTok dance from 2020 could affect your future in grad school. But here we are.