Visa Updates & Social Media Vetting

U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world are currently reopening student visa interview appointments with changes (note that not all embassies and consulates have opened new student visa interview appointment slots, but we anticipate this to happen within the next few days).

New Social Media Vetting Requirements

A new State Department policy now requires consular officers to review each applicant’s social media and online presence before approving a visa. After each interview, if an officer is inclined to approve the visa, they must first place the application under Administrative Processing while they review the applicant’s virtual details. We are hearing that these mandatory reviews are adding approximately two weeks of delay to the visa process, so students should schedule their interviews as early as possible to accommodate this additional time. 

All social media profiles must be set to public, and we understand that visa officers are screening for:

• • Indications of affiliation with or support for organizations designated as terrorist groups by the U.S. government;
  • Evidence of involvement in, or planned illegal activities;
  • Online content expressing threats, harassment, or hostility toward individuals or institutions in the United States;
  • Discriminatory or hate-based content, including antisemitism;
  • Evidence of past noncompliance with U.S. visa regulations; and 
  • Inconsistent information between the DS-160 form and the visa interview.

Key Points for Visa Applicants:

Recent visa appointment closures, combined with new vetting requirements, are expected to impact interview availability. This means:

• • Interview slots are limited, especially at busy posts. Interviews should be scheduled as early as possible, and emergency/expedited slots may be limited or unavailable.
  • Applicants from schools with smaller international student populations may be prioritized (less than 15% of enrollment).
  • You should consider interviewing in another city or country if no local appointments are available, but be prepared for additional scrutiny if you do so.
  • Applicants must list all social media accounts on the DS-160 and set your accounts to public before your interview. 
  • You should consider completing a new DS-160 form if you did not list all social media accounts in your previous submission.
  • Adequate preparation for the interview is more important than ever; you may not be able to schedule additional interviews before your classes begin if you are denied.

Resources are available to help you prepare: 

• • Homebase courses – Completing form DS-160
  • ZF Visas online courses
  • Argo Visas 1:1 consultations
  • Visas101 online courses and consultations 

Wishing you the best,

The Homebase and ZF Visa and Immigration Teams