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New US visa rules from October 1: Which applicants must make social media profiles public?
The US is expanding its online presence review for visa applicants, bringing 3 additional nonimmigrant visa categories under enhanced screening from October 1.
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The US State Department is expanding its online presence review for visa applicants, bringing three additional nonimmigrant visa categories under enhanced screening from October 1, 2026.
Under the new measure, applicants for I visas for foreign media representatives, TN visas for USMCA professionals and TD visas for their dependents will be asked to make their social media profiles public or open so that US authorities can review their online presence as part of the visa vetting process.
The State Department announced the expansion on September 18, saying the move is intended to help officials use available information when determining whether applicants are eligible for a US visa and whether they could pose national-security or public-safety concerns.
Which US visas will face the new screening?
The expanded screening will apply to three nonimmigrant visa classifications from October 1:
I visa: For foreign media representatives, including journalists and members of foreign news organizations.
TN visa: For eligible Canadian and Mexican professionals seeking temporary entry to the US under the USMCA.
TD visa: For spouses and eligible dependents of TN visa holders.
The State Department has specifically instructed applicants in these categories to set the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to “public” or “open.”
The measure does not mean that every applicant will be denied a visa based on something found online. Rather, social media and other available information can form part of the broader screening and adjudication process.
H-1B, F-1 and other visas already face vetting
The October 1 expansion adds I, TN and TD visas to a list of categories that are already subject to online presence review.
These include H-1B and H-3 temporary workers, H-4 dependents, F-1 and M-1 students, F-2 and M-2 dependents, J-1 and J-2 exchange visitors, K visas, Q visas and R-1 and R-2 religious-worker visas.
Certain diplomatic and official visa categories, as well as S, T and U visas for witnesses, informants and victims, are also covered by the existing policy.
The State Department says officers can consider information from available sources during visa screening to determine whether an applicant is inadmissible or otherwise ineligible.
What does it mean for applicants
For applicants, the immediate change from October 1 means social media accounts must be set to public or open when applying under the newly covered categories.
The State Department said visa adjudication is a national-security decision and stressed that a US visa is granted at the government's discretion rather than being an entitlement.
The latest expansion is part of a broader US effort to increase online and identity screening across several visa categories. For applicants, it means social-media privacy settings will become an explicit part of the application instructions for I, TN and TD visas from October 1.
