US Embassy expands 'public' social media requirement for more visa categories

The United States Embassy in the Philippines announced Wednesday that more categories of visa applicants are now required to set their social media platforms to “public” to complete their visa process.

In an advisory, the embassy said that effective March 30, the following categories will be affected by the new requirement:

• Fiancé(e) Visa Applicants (K-1, K-2, and K-3 visas). 
• Certain Personal Employees or Domestic Workers (A-3, C-3, and G-5 visas)
• Trainee or Special Education Exchange Visitors (H-3 and their H-4 dependents) 
• Cultural and Religious Visitors (Q, R-1, and R-2 visas) 
• Informant, Witness, and Victims of Crimes (S, T, and U visas)

“The U.S. Embassy uses this information to determine applicants’ eligibility to receive a visa,” the advisory read.

“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames, handles, or identifiers for every platform they have used in the last 5 years on the visa application form. Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,” it added.

"Since 2019, the United States has required visa applicants to provide social media usernames on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms," the embassy said.

In June last year, the embassy asked those who are applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa to set their social media accounts privacy settings to public, saying this is a necessary step in the United States government’s vetting process.

Applicants for H-1B work visas and their dependents (H-4) were also instructed to adjust the settings on all of their social media accounts to public. —Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/KG, GMA News