US expands social media scrutiny for I, TN and TD visa applicants from October 1

US visa applicants in I, TN and TD visa categories must set their social media profiles to public or open from October 1 to facilitate the visa screening process. I visas cover foreign media representatives, while TN visas are for Canadian and Mexican professionals working temporarily in the US under USMCA, and TD visas are for their spouses and children. The State Department said it relies on every available source of information during visa screening to identify applicants who may be inadmissible to the US, including those who pose a threat to national security or public safety. This expansion adds to online presence reviews already applied to students (F-1, M-1), temporary workers (H-1B, H-3, H-4), exchange visitors (J-1, J-2), fiancé visas (K-1, K-2, K-3), and other categories. The move comes as the State Department implements broader changes to US immigration processing, including new training for staff on assessing applicant financial self-sufficiency following a court ruling that struck down a temporary suspension of immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries.