The U.S. Embassy in London, via its consular social media channels (@USAinUKConsular), has announced a significant change to the visa application process, particularly affecting nonimmigrant visas. Effective immediately, applicants for F (academic student), M (vocational student), or J (exchange visitor) visas are now requested to adjust the privacy settings on all their personal social media accounts to ‘public’.
The announcement, which states “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” clarifies that this measure is intended “to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States.”
This new requirement signals an increased focus on social media presence as part of the U.S. government’s security screening process for individuals seeking to enter the country.
Applicants for these specific nonimmigrant visa categories should be aware of this change and prepare to make their social media profiles publicly accessible to ensure their applications can be processed.
