The US has expanded vetting for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, ordering all social media profiles to be made public as part of enhanced national security checks.
A representational image of a US visa application form with an approval stamp. (Pic courtesy: Freepik)
In a significant escalation of its security checks, the US government has ordered stricter screening for H-1B visa applicants and their families, directing them to keep all social media profiles open to public view.
The fresh instructions, issued by the State Department on Wednesday, expand an existing scrutiny framework that previously covered students and exchange visitors.
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According to the department, consular officers will now examine the online activity of every applicant seeking an H-1B visa or an H-4 dependent visa. The mandatory review of digital footprints begins December 15.
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To enable this, the State Department has instructed applicants across multiple non-immigrant categories, including H-1B, H-4, F, M and J visas, to “adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public’.”
The US government stressed that visa approvals are inseparable from national security considerations. “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the department noted, adding that authorities rely on all information available to ensure applicants do not pose risks or intend to misuse their entry into the country.
Officials argued that the updated social-media rule is part of a wider attempt to ensure that every applicant really does qualify and intends to comply with the terms of their stay.
The directive comes amid a wider tightening of immigration rules. The Trump administration has repeatedly moved to restrict temporary work visas, especially the H-1B programme, one heavily used by Indian tech professionals, healthcare workers and US-based technology companies.
In September, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation titled Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, imposing a one-time USD 100,000 fee on new H-1B work visas, a measure expected to hit Indian applicants the hardest.
In a parallel development, Washington has also halted—effective immediately—all Green Card, citizenship and broader immigration applications from people belonging to 19 “countries of concern”. The move follows the shooting of two US National Guard soldiers by an Afghan national.
A policy memo from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has ordered all asylum applications to be placed on hold pending a comprehensive review, regardless of nationality or entry date. The freeze also covers applicants from nations previously included in the administration’s travel ban, including Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Haiti, Burma, Sudan, Chad, Cuba and others.
US halts visas for Afghan passport holders after DC shooting near White House
The sweeping pause was announced after US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Air Force Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot. Beckstrom later died of her injuries, while Wolfe remains in critical condition.
The alleged attacker, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national, had entered the US through Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era programme created to resettle Afghans after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Also Read: Washington attacker worked with US military in Afghanistan
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