Islamabad, June 23, 2025: The United States Embassy in India announced Monday that all applicants for F, M, or J nonimmigrant visas are now required to make their social media accounts public. This directive follows new, tightened social media vetting rules ordered by the Trump administration aimed at identifying individuals deemed “hostile” towards the US.
The Trump administration had ordered the resumption of student visa appointments last Wednesday but with a significantly expanded social media screening process.
According to an internal State Department cable dated June 18, US consular officers must now conduct “comprehensive and thorough vetting” to identify applicants who “bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.”
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In a post on X, the US Embassy in India stated, “Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to public to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the US under US law.”
The embassy clarified that the US has required social media identifiers on visa forms since 2019, using “all available information” to screen for security threats.
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F and M visas are for different types of students, while J visas are for participants in exchange visitor programs. The new directive expands on a May 27 order that temporarily halted new appointments for these visa types to allow for the expanded social media review.
The June 18 cable, sent by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to all diplomatic missions, specifically directs officers to look for applicants with a “history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence or with the views and activities described above.”
It also authorizes officers to explicitly ask applicants to make all social media accounts public, noting that “limited access” could be seen as an attempt to hide information.
The vetting process now includes a review of an applicant’s “entire online presence,” not just social media, using “appropriate search engines or other online resources” to find potentially “derogatory information.”
An example cited was discovering an applicant “endorsed Hamas or its activities,” which could lead to ineligibility. Secretary Rubio has previously stated he revoked visas for thousands involved in activities against US foreign policy, including support for Palestinians.
Critics have condemned the administration’s actions as an attack on First Amendment free speech rights. The new vetting demands may also lead to “fewer appointments” due to the increased resource demands.
Posts are directed to prioritize expedited appointments for foreign-born physicians and students applying to universities where international students comprise less than 15% of the total student body.
