01/04/2026
Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants
https://ph.usembassy.gov/announcement-of-expanded-screening-and-vetting-for-visa-applicants/
Effective March 30, in addition to Students and Exchanges (F, M, and J), and Specialty Occupations (H-1B and their H-4 dependents), the following visa applicants, regardless of age, must also now change their privacy settings and profiles to “public” on all social media platforms to complete the visa process.
·Fiancé(e) Visa Applicants (K-1, K-2, and K-3 visas).
·Certain Personal Employees or Domestic Workers (A-3, C-3, and G-5 visas)
·Trainee or Special Education Exchange Visitors (H-3 and their H-4 dependents)
·Cultural and Religious Visitors (Q, R-1, and R-2 visas)
· Informant, Witness, and Victims of Crimes (S, T, and U visas)
The U.S. Embassy uses this information to determine applicants’ eligibility to receive a visa. Since 2019, the United States has required visa applicants to provide social media usernames on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms.
Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames, handles, or identifiers for every platform they have used in the last 5 years on the visa application form. Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.
