State Department Asks Student Visa Applicants to Make Social Media Accounts Public

Key Points

• The U.S. State Department now requires student visa applicants to make all social media accounts public for vetting purposes.
• This measure is part of enhanced security and identity checks, with private accounts potentially viewed as suspicious.
• Recent visa and entry policy changes, including social media scrutiny, have contributed to a decline in inbound travel from Europe and Canada.

Summary

The U.S. State Department has mandated that student visa applicants must make their social media accounts public to facilitate vetting for national security reasons. This new requirement expands on a 2019 policy that required social media disclosure but not public access, and comes amid increased scrutiny of international students' backgrounds and activities. These heightened measures, alongside recent high-profile visa revocations and detentions, are linked to a decline in travel to the U.S. from Europe and Canada.