On March 25, 2026, the Department of State (DOS) announced that effective March 30, the agency will expand its “online presence review” to include applicants in additional nonimmigrant visa classifications: all A-3, C-3 (if a domestic worker), G-5, H-3, H-4 dependents of H-3, K-1, K-2, K-3, Q, R-1, R-2, S, T, and U classifications. These are in addition to H-1B applicants and their dependents, and the F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visa applicants already subject to social media review.
To facilitate this vetting, DOS said, all applicants for these categories are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public” or “open.”
Reportedly, social media vetting of H-1B applicants has resulted in “immense backlogs at U.S. consulates.”
