With the academic year in the United States set to begin next month, Indian students planning to study in the US face a new challenge. The US government now requires all international students applying under F, M, and J visa categories to keep their social media profiles public—not just during the application process, but for the entire validity period of their visas.
“All student and exchange visitor visa applicants are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of personal social media profiles to ‘public’ in order to facilitate vetting necessary to establish the applicant’s admissibility to the United States,” said a spokesperson for the US Embassy in New Delhi.
Security Checks Extended Through Visa Validity
The US authorities have clarified that vetting will continue beyond the issuance of the visa. “Security vetting runs from the time of each application, through adjudication of the visa, and afterwards during the validity period of every issued visa,” the spokesperson added, emphasizing that this is necessary to ensure that visa holders remain eligible to travel to the US.
This policy is not entirely new. Since 2019, visa applicants have been required to provide their social media handles. However, the push for public visibility has become more pronounced in recent months, with the US citing “public safety and national security” as key reasons for the change.
Visa Delays and Anxiety Among Students
In May, the US government, under the Donald Trump administration, had paused scheduling of student visa interviews following campus protests over Israel’s bombing in Gaza. This move sparked concern among Indian students, many of whom began scrubbing their digital footprints to avoid possible rejections.
On June 18, the US State Department resumed scheduling F, M, and J visa interviews. It also reiterated that obtaining a US visa is a “privilege, not a right,” and that comprehensive vetting—including online presence—would now be standard for all student and exchange visitor applicants.
In 2023–24, Indian students made up the largest group of international students in the US, with over 3.3 lakh enrolments. As per US State Department data, the country issued over 4 lakh F-1 visas in FY 2024 alone.