New US Policy Requires H-1B and H-4 Visa Applicants to Make Social Media Profiles Public for Enhanced Security Screening

Dec 04, 2025 03:57 pm CST

Starting December 15, the US State Department will implement new vetting procedures requiring all H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 dependents to set their social media profiles to "public" as part of enhanced security screening. This measure, previously applied only to students and exchange visitors, represents the latest in a series of immigration restrictions under the Trump administration, which has also introduced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas and paused immigration applications from 19 countries of concern.