US visa applicants: These 3 categories face social media checks from October 1

If you are applying for an I, TN or TD visa to the US, your social media presence will come under enhanced review from October 1. The US Department of State has added these three nonimmigrant visa categories to its online presence screening process and is asking applicants to keep their social media profiles set to “public” or “open.”

The change is particularly relevant for foreign media representatives, Canadian and Mexican professionals applying under the TN category, and eligible dependents of TN visa holders.

Under the I category, visas are issued to representatives of foreign media travelling to the US for professional purposes. TN visas cover qualifying professionals from Canada and Mexico seeking temporary admission under the USMCA, while TD visas are for eligible dependents of TN professionals.

What applicants need to know

From October 1, applicants in these three categories will be subject to the online presence review as part of the State Department's existing visa screening and vetting process.

The department has specifically instructed applicants to make all social media profiles public or open so their online presence can be reviewed.

This is an expansion of an existing system, rather than a new social media requirement for all US visa applicants. The State Department already applies enhanced online presence reviews to several other visa categories.

The department says information available to consular officers can be used as part of the broader vetting process, including screening related to national security and public safety.

For I, TN and TD applicants, the main practical change is that their social media presence will now form part of the enhanced review from October 1, making the department's public-profile instruction an important part of the updated visa process.

The move comes amid broader scrutiny of the Trump administration's increased screening of foreign nationals.

A separate proposal involving social media information from ESTA travellers has also drawn criticism from travel and digital-rights groups, but that proposal is separate from the October 1 visa change.