The United States Embassy in the UAE has announced a new requirement for certain visa applicants: they must now set their social media profiles to “public” as part of enhanced identity verification and security screening.
This directive applies to individuals applying for F (academic), M (vocational), and J (exchange visitor) nonimmigrant visas.
“Individuals applying for F, M, or J nonimmigrant visas are now requested to set their social media accounts to ‘public’ to facilitate identity and admissibility vetting under U.S. law,” the embassy stated.
According to Khaleej Times, this is part of the broader effort by the US government to strengthen online background checks, particularly in the wake of resumed visa appointment scheduling following a pause ordered by the Trump administration.
US consular officers are now instructed to perform a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” of applicants’ online presence, not just their social media activity. This includes scanning public search engines and databases for any “derogatory” or potentially hostile content.
The State Department emphasized that every visa decision is a matter of national security and applicants must show clear intent to engage in lawful, non-threatening activities in the US.
Though visa appointment scheduling is resuming, embassies have been advised to limit the number of applications to manage the heavier workload required for these new security protocols.
Priority may still be given to certain expedited applications, including those from international medical practitioners and students entering schools where foreign nationals make up less than 15% of the student population.
