The United States government is expanding its mandatory social media screening policy to additional visa categories, including foreign journalists, certain professionals from Canada and Mexico, and their dependents.
From October 1, 2026, applicants for I, TN and TD visas will be required to make their social media profiles publicly accessible as part of the US Department of State’s visa screening and vetting process.
The expanded requirement will affect I visa applicants, including foreign journalists, reporters and other representatives of foreign media travelling to the US for qualifying professional activities.
It will also apply to TN visa applicants, which cover eligible Canadian and Mexican professionals whose occupations are recognised under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), as well as TD visa applicants, who are eligible spouses and unmarried children of TN visa holders.
The State Department has instructed applicants in the affected categories to adjust their social media privacy settings to “public” or “open” to facilitate the screening process.
The latest measure forms part of a broader expansion of digital vetting by US immigration authorities, with social media activity increasingly becoming an element of the visa review process.
The development follows a requirement introduced in 2019, when the State Department began requesting social media identifiers from most immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants worldwide.
Under the expanded digital disclosure regime, applicants are required to provide social media usernames or handles used during the preceding five years when completing the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application.
The latest policy goes beyond simply requesting account identifiers by requiring applicants in designated categories to make their online profiles accessible for government review.
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Student and exchange visitor visa applicants were among the groups previously subjected to enhanced social media screening.
In 2025, the US temporarily paused the scheduling of new interviews for F, M and J visa applicants as authorities prepared to implement stricter screening procedures. Processing subsequently resumed with social media screening requirements.
Other visa categories already subject to enhanced screening include F-1 and F-2 student visas, M-1 and M-2 vocational student visas, J-1 and J-2 exchange visitor visas, H-1B and H-4 temporary worker categories, as well as H-3, K, Q, R, S, T and U categories and certain diplomatic and official visa dependants.
The October 1 expansion comes as Nigerian travellers face a wider range of US visa compliance requirements.
US authorities have previously required Nigerian visa applicants to provide social media information as part of the broader vetting process. The US Mission in Nigeria has also repeatedly emphasised compliance with visa conditions, particularly the importance of departing the United States before authorised stays expire.
The inclusion of I visas means Nigerian journalists and other qualifying media representatives seeking temporary entry to the US will also fall under the public-profile screening requirement from October 1.
Applicants affected by the new rule will therefore need to ensure that their social media accounts are accessible for review when submitting their visa applications.