Applying for Green Card? New US Immigration Rule may require social media handles info from millions

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has recommended gathering data from applicants' social media accounts.

Want to apply for a green card? You might soon be required to include details about your social media accounts on your immigration application. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in a notice in the Federal Register on March 5, 2025, that it will need social media information on applications from millions of immigrants desiring citizenship and green card benefits.

The DHS claims that this is in accordance with the executive order that President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office on January 20th, “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.”(AP)

The DHS claims that this is in accordance with the executive order that President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office on January 20th, “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.”

The directive instructs federal agencies to improve their vetting and screening processes for immigrants.

It calls for an evaluation of immigration and visa procedures for security threats and restores some of the previous Trump administration's measures.

The notice states that in order to confirm applicants' identities and evaluate security or public safety concerns, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will gather social media handles information but not passwords.

New US rule to impact 3.5 million people

The proposal policy may impact over 3.5 million (35 lakh) people, according to the agency's estimations.

Reviewing social media activity, according to a USCIS spokesman who spoke to Newsweek, would improve fraud detection and determine whether applicants are a national security or public safety concern.

“These forms that people are filling out for these various benefit applications are extremely comprehensive and ask a number of detailed questions which often require the assistance of an attorney to fill out and many of those questions are used to determine who is not eligible for a benefit because of derogatory information,” Kathleen Bush-Joseph, policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told Newsweek.

DHS seeks public feedback

The Federal eRulemaking Portal will be open for public comments on the proposal for 60 days. After considering suggestions, DHS will choose whether to adopt, change, or remove the rule.

If approved, the new rule will be imposed to nine forms:N-400 (application for naturalization), I-131 (application for travel document), I-192 (application for advance permission to enter as nonimmigrant), I-485 (application for adjustment of status), I-589 (application for asylum and for withholding of removal), I-590 (registration for classification as refugee), I-730 (refugee/asylee relative petition), I-751 (petition to remove conditions on residence) and I-829 (petition by investor to remove conditions on permanent resident status).