3 new US visa categories to face mandatory social media checks from October 1

The United States Department of State has announced an expansion of its online presence review for visa applicants, with three additional nonimmigrant visa categories to be covered from October 1, 2026.

Under the new measure, applicants for I, TN and TD visas will be required to set the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to “public” or “open” to facilitate the vetting process.

The Department of State announced the change in an update dated September 18, 2026.

The affected categories include I visas for foreign media representatives, TN visas for certain professionals from Canada and Mexico under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and TD visas for their dependants.

The department said the expanded screening builds on online presence reviews already required for several other visa categories.

These include:

• Diplomatic and official visas: A-3, C-3, where applicable to domestic workers, and G-5
• Student visas: F-1, M-1, F-2 and M-2
• Temporary workers and trainees: H-1B, H-3 and H-4 dependants of H-1B and H-3 visa holders
• Exchange visitors: J-1 and J-2
• Fiancé(e) and dependants: K-1, K-2 and K-3
• International cultural exchange participants: Q
• Religious occupations: R-1 and R-2
• Witnesses, informants and victims: S, T and U

According to the Department of State, visa officers rely on every available source of information during screening and vetting to identify applicants who may be inadmissible to the United States, including individuals considered to pose national security or public safety risks.

The department said the same vetting standard is applied across visa applicants.

“Every visa adjudication is fundamentally a national security decision,” the department said, adding that the US remains vigilant throughout the visa issuance process.

It said the screening is intended to establish that applicants do not intend to harm Americans or threaten United States interests and that they can demonstrate eligibility for the visa they are seeking.

Applicants must also demonstrate a genuine intention to comply with the terms of their admission to the United States.

The department further stressed that obtaining a United States visa is a privilege granted at the government’s discretion and not an entitlement.