Effective December 15, the U.S. Department of State has expanded its visa screening requirements to include an online presence review for all H-1B visa applicants and their dependents (H-4). This requirement already applies to F, M, and J visa applicants and will now extend to H-1B and H-4 cases processed at U.S. consulates abroad.

Who Is Affected 

The online presence review applies to applicants for:

• H-1B specialty occupation visas
• H-4 dependent visas
• F student visas
• M vocational student visas
• J exchange visitor visas

What Applicants Are Required to Do 

To facilitate this review, applicants in the categories listed above are instructed to:

• Set the privacy settings on all social media profiles to “public”
• Expect consular officers to review publicly available online content as part of the visa adjudication process

Purpose of the Expanded Screening 

The State Department uses all available information during visa screening to:

• Determine whether an applicant is admissible to the United States
• Identify applicants who may pose a national security or public safety concern
• Confirm that applicants qualify for the visa requested and intend to engage only in permitted activities

What This Means for Applicants

• Visa processing may take longer due to additional review
• Public online content should be consistent with the information in the visa application
• Inconsistencies may result in delays or additional questions at the visa interview

For more information, visit

‍https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/announcement-of-expanded-screening-and-vetting-for-h-1b-and-dependent-h-4-visa-applicants.html 

Need guidance? Contact our office at 703-348-1663 to ensure your application meets these new requirements and to receive professional support through the process.

‍