More US visa applicants in PH must set social media to public
The US Embassy in the Philippines has expanded its requirement for visa applicants to set their social media accounts to public, now including more categories beyond students and specialty occupation visas, raising privacy concerns among Filipinos.
The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines announced in June 2025 that applicants for F (academic studies), M (vocational/non-academic studies), and J (exchange programs) nonimmigrant visas must set all their social media accounts to public settings to facilitate identity verification and admissibility vetting. This policy expansion specifically targets student and exchange visitor categories, building upon the 2019 requirement for all visa applicants to disclose social media identifiers on forms like DS-160. The embassy posted an advisory on X (formerly Twitter) requesting public settings for all F, M, and J applicants, with failure to comply potentially leading to visa refusal as it hinders national security screening for threats to U.S. interests.
The announcement was reported by Philippine media outlets including Inquirer (globalnation.inquirer.net) and covered by ABS-CBN/ANC, highlighting the requirement for Filipino applicants' social media to be public during processing. The U.S. Embassy Manila's official website confirms this directive, emphasizing the use of "all available information" including online presence for comprehensive vetting. This policy aligns with global U.S. State Department directives for expanded screening of student and exchange visitor applicants worldwide.
No expansions beyond these specific educational and exchange categories (F, M, J) have been reported for 2024-2025 in the Philippines or globally. Other nonimmigrant visa categories such as B-1/B-2 tourism and business visas are not mentioned as newly affected by this social media requirement. The policy applies immediately to new applicants in these categories, with similar rules implemented at other U.S. embassies including those in India and Mexico.
The U.S. State Department's official announcement in June 2025 emphasized comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence review, for all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant categories. This represents a significant expansion from previous requirements that only mandated disclosure of social media handles, now requiring actual public accessibility of accounts for screening purposes. The embassy advises applicants to verify the latest requirements through official channels including the embassy's visa page or DS-160 portal, as these policies support ongoing national security reviews and identity verification processes.
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