Updated Caution from the State Department: What You Post on Social Media Can Affect Your U.S. Visa

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has stepped up its review of an applicant’s online presence and social media accounts during visa processing and after visa issuance. This means your online activity—what you post, share, or even “like”—can be used to deny a visa, even if everything else in your application is in order.

What Is the Visa Stamping Process?

If you’re planning to travel to the United States for work, study, tourism, or other reasons, most foreign nationals need to go through a process known as “visa stamping.” This involves scheduling an appointment at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad, submitting forms, and attending an in-person interview with a consular officer. During that interview, the officer will review your application, supporting documents, and now—more than ever—your digital footprint, including your social media.

If approved, a visa stamp is placed in your passport, allowing you to travel to the United States and request entry at the border.

Why Social Media Now Matters

Since 2019, the Department of State has required most visa applicants to disclose their social media identifiers from the past five years. But in recent months, we’ve seen a shift from simply collecting this information to using it more aggressively as part of vetting eligibility for a visa.

The Department of State issued a cable on June 18, 2025, titled “Action Request: Expanding Screening and Vetting for FMJ Applicants.” Per the cable, consular posts are instructed to offer interviews in a way that accommodates the increased workload associated with additional screening efforts, and to review applicants’ online presence “to identify applicants who bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles.” The cable also instructs embassies to flag any applicants who “advocate for, aid or support foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security; or who perpetrate unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.”

According to the cable, posts are instructed to prioritize interviewing physicians applying for a J-1 visa for educational exchange and F-1 students looking to “study at a U.S. university where international students constitute 15 percent or less of the total student population.”

The cable concludes with:

“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision. The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.

Previously, on May 30, 2025, it was reported that the Department of State had issued a cable titled “ Enhanced Vetting for All Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants Traveling to Harvard University. While the cable specifically mentions “Harvard” it is important to point out that the cable states that a “lack of any online presence” or making social media accounts private “may be reflective of evasiveness and call into question the applicant’s credibility.”  The cable further directs that if the consular officer is not personally and completely satisfied that the applicant meets the requirements for the visa, the visa must be refused.

Preparing for your Visa Interview:

• Social media is part of your application. Consular officers are directed to review publicly available online content when conducting security screenings. If you have social media accounts set to private, you should change them to public prior to your visa appointment.
• Your interactions matter. According to the Department of State: “An applicant’s engagement with third-party content may itself support visa refusal or revocation if it raises doubts about the applicant’s intent or admissibility.” Posts you may like, share, or accounts you follow could lead to a visa refusal.
• Social media can override documentation. If your posts suggest intent to immigrate while you are applying for a temporary visa, that inconsistency could trigger a denial of your visa.

Typically, applicants only have between 2-5 minutes before the consulate officer to make their case for their visa. It is unclear when or how the consulate officers will be reviewing the social media activity – whether it will be prior to the interview or during the interview, if at all. Nonetheless, review your online presence: Even if you are not an active user of social media, it is recommended that you review your online presence, particularly for activity that could be construed as criticizing the current U.S. administration, its foreign policy, and cultural values the administration promotes, or show behaviors that may be considered inappropriate, such as partying, drug or alcohol use.