The United States Department of State has announced an expansion of its online presence vetting for visa applicants, adding three new nonimmigrant visa categories to the list of those subject to mandatory social media checks from October 1, 2026.
Under the new measure, applicants for I, TN and TD visas will be required to set the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to “public” or “open” to facilitate review by consular officers during the vetting process.
The department announced the policy update on September 18, 2026.
The newly affected categories include I visas, issued to foreign media representatives and journalists on assignment in the US, TN visas for qualified professionals from Canada and Mexico under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and TD visas for dependants of TN visa holders.
The State Department explained that the expansion builds on existing online presence reviews already in place for several other visa categories. Those include diplomatic and official visas such as A-3, C-3 where applicable to domestic workers, and G-5; student visas including F-1, M-1, F-2 and M-2; temporary workers and trainees under H-1B and H-3 categories and their H-4 dependants; exchange visitors under J-1 and J-2; fiancé(e) and dependant visas under K-1, K-2 and K-3; international cultural exchange participants under Q; religious workers under R-1 and R-2; and S, T and U visas for witnesses, informants and victims of crimes and trafficking.
According to the department, consular officers deploy all available information and resources during visa screening and vetting to determine whether an applicant may be inadmissible to the United States, including those who may pose risks to national security or public safety.
The department stressed that every visa adjudication is a national security decision and that the same rigorous vetting standard applies to all applicants. The online presence review is intended to help officers assess applicants’ backgrounds more thoroughly before a visa is issued.
The latest expansion is part of Washington’s broader effort to strengthen border security and enhance scrutiny of foreign nationals seeking entry into the country.
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