I, TN and TD Visa Applicants to Face Expanded Online Presence Review Starting October 1
Husneara Choudhury:
The United States will expand its online presence screening for visa applicants beginning October 1, bringing three additional visa categories—I, TN and TD—under the enhanced review process.
Under the new policy, applicants for I visas, issued to foreign media representatives, as well as TN visas for eligible Canadian and Mexican professionals under the USMCA and TD visas for their qualifying dependents, will be subject to online presence reviews.
Applicants in these categories will be instructed to set their social media profiles and privacy settings to “public” or “open,” allowing consular officers to review publicly available online information as part of the visa screening process.
The U.S. State Department said the expanded screening is intended to help identify applicants who may be inadmissible to the United States, including those who could pose national security or public safety concerns.
The measure adds I, TN and TD applicants to a growing list of visa categories already subject to enhanced online presence review, including certain student, exchange visitor, temporary worker and other visa applicants.
The expanded policy does not mean that every U.S. visa applicant will automatically be subject to the same level of social media screening. The requirements vary by visa category and are part of the broader U.S. visa vetting process.
