US Mandates Public Social Media for Student and Exchange Visa Applicants

Washington D.C. - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced a new policy requiring all applicants for F (student), M (vocational student), and J (exchange visitor) non-immigrant visas to make their personal social media accounts public. This measure, effective immediately, aims to enhance national security vetting processes. According to the official statement displayed in a recent public announcement, "Every visa adjudication is a national security decision." The new requirement mandates that individuals applying for these specific non-immigrant visas adjust their social media privacy settings to 'public'. This adjustment will facilitate the government's ability to thoroughly vet applicants, establish their identity, and determine their admissibility to the United States. Content creator Carlos Eduardo Espina, in a video discussing the policy, highlighted that this change means visa applicants will no longer be able to maintain private social media profiles. He stated, "You will have to enable it to be public and give access to the U.S. government so they can review everything you post, publish, etc." Espina also commented on the broader implications, noting that "this represents a massive change to how the United States grants visas." The Department of Homeland Security asserts that this enhanced scrutiny is necessary to ensure national security and proper immigration administration.