Beginning this week, international students and exchange visitors face a new hurdle: every F, M, and J applicant must set social media accounts to “public” and list every handle from the last five years.
Foreign students eyeing American campuses will find the visa interview a lot more personal. Consular officers will still review passports, transcripts, and bank statements, but they will also scroll through Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and any other profile an applicant has touched since 2020. Fail to cooperate? Your visa could be denied—and future applications flagged.
State Department expands digital background checks for all F, M, and J visas to strengthen national security
The policy, announced Friday, formalizes what began in 2019 but was only sporadically enforced. Officials say a full, public look at online activity helps detect fraud and potential security threats. “Every visa decision is a national‑security decision,” a department spokesperson stressed. Nervous about showing off that TikTok feed? Too bad—privacy settings must stay open until your case is closed.
| Requirement | Applies to | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
| Social media set to public | F, M, J visa seekers | Immediately |
| List every username from last 5 years | All platforms | Ongoing since 2019 |
| Attach I‑20 or DS‑2019 when requesting early slot | Students & scholars | Ongoing |
Consular posts worldwide are already reshuffling interview slots to cope with longer screenings. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico, for example, urged students whose programs start in June or July to request an emergency appointment—and to upload proof of acceptance when they do. Below, five steps every student visa applicant should take before their interview date:
- Audit your profiles. Delete offensive or inconsistent posts now—before you switch to public.
- Gather usernames. Facebook to GitHub, list them all; officers compare forms against live searches.
- Print supporting evidence. Screenshots of scholarship letters or research projects can reinforce credibility.
- Schedule early. Summer demand is fierce; unused slots disappear within hours.
- Stay transparent. Unsure whether a dormant account counts? Disclose it anyway.
Have you double‑checked that forgotten Reddit alias? Omissions, officials warn, may trigger refusal and bar re‑entry for years.
What happens if you hide or delete accounts during the vetting process, according to consular officials
Trying to scrub an account after submitting the DS‑160 can backfire. Officers track platform‑level metadata and will flag sudden disappearances as a “material misrepresentation.” Consequences range from a simple 221(g) administrative delay to a permanent ineligibility finding under section 212(a)(6)(C)(i) of immigration law. In short, honesty really is the best policy.
America is reopening consular windows for students, yet the doorway is narrower than ever. Prospective scholars should prepare early, keep their digital footprint clean, and respond quickly to embassy emails. After all, a dream semester in Boston or Berkeley is hardly worth risking over a locked Instagram story.