On December 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced a major expansion of its visa-application screening process: beginning December 15, 2025, all applicants for H‑1B visa and their dependents under H‑4 visa will be subject to the same online-presence vetting previously applied only to student and exchange-visitor visas.

What’s Changing

  • The new rule means that every H-1B and H-4 applicant must make all social-media accounts publicly visible so consular officers can review their online presence as part of the visa adjudication process.
  • Until now, the additional social-media screening had applied only to applicants for F (student), M (vocational), and J (exchange-visitor) visas.
  • According to the DOS, the expanded vetting — which includes review of “all available information” — aims to identify visa applicants who may pose a risk to U.S. national security or public safety.

Why This Matters

The shift reflects a broader policy of increasing scrutiny across visa categories — especially for work visas now under H-1B. Given that a visa is treated by the U.S. government as a “privilege, not a right” — each adjudication is considered a national security decision.

For visa applicants and employers alike, the practical implications may include:

  • Longer processing times — as additional vetting (and potentially, follow-up questions or documentation requests) becomes standard.
  • Greater uncertainty and scrutiny — especially for applicants from countries or backgrounds subject to heightened security review.

What Applicants Should Do

If you (or your employees/dependents) are applying for H-1B or H-4 visas:

  1. Review all social-media platforms and make sure they are now “public.”
  2. Ensure any publicly visible information aligns accurately with your application — consistent names, employment history, education, countries of residence, affiliations, etc.
  3. Prepare for possible additional documentation — background, affiliations, previous travel or residence history — in case the vetting process triggers follow-up.
  4. Adjust expectations: plan for potential delays and build in extra time for visa stamping or renewal, especially if applying from a high-volume embassy/consulate.

What This Means for Employers & Immigration-Support Services

For employers sponsoring H-1B visas or firms that support visa applicants, the expanded vetting means more responsibility for advising applicants about their digital footprint. Sensitivity to public-content review — including employee social media — becomes part of compliance awareness.

Employers should proactively notify staff applying for H-1B/H-4 visas about the new requirements, and consider offering guidance or resources to help them prepare — both in terms of privacy resets and potential documentation support.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns, contact us at josh@wildeslaw.com.