NAFSA Advisory: Expanded Online Presence Vetting Policy for F, M, J Visa Applicants

Executive Summary

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On June 18, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) instructed consulates worldwide to implement a mandatory expansion of social media vetting for all F, M, and J visa applicants (students and exchange visitors), requiring applicants to make all social media accounts public while consular officers conduct thorough reviews of their entire online presence using search engines and databases to identify "potentially derogatory information" including political activism, terrorism support, anti-Semitic activities, or "hostile attitudes" toward the United States. F, M, and J visa applications will undergo a two-step process involving standard eligibility review followed by enhanced vetting under INA 221(g) administrative processing.

The June 18, 2025 DOS cable that delivered the guidance told consulates that they had five business days from the date of the cable to implement the new protocols, after which they could begin opening up new visa appointments (which had been halted since May 27, 2025). The fifth business day following June 18 would be June 26, 2025 (not counting the day the cable was issued and taking into account the intervening weekend and the federal holiday of Juneteenth on June 19). Although visa appointment scheduling is resuming, processing capacity may be reduced due to the resource-intensive nature of the expanded screening requirements. This may translate into longer appointment wait and visa processing times.