US Embassy: These visa applicants now need to set their social media profiles to public

By AYIE LICSI Published Apr 02, 2026 10:49 am

The US Embassy in the Philippines has extended its requirement for visa applicants to make their social media profiles public to complete the process.

In an advisory on April 1, the office stated that apart from visa types Students and Exchanges (F, M, and J) and Specialty Occupations (H-1B and their H-4 dependents, applicants for the following will now need to change their social media privacy settings:

Fiancé(e) via applicants (K-1, K-2, and K-3)
Certain Personal Employees or Domestic Workers (A-3, C-3, and G-5)
Trainee or Special Education Exchange Visitors (H-3 and their H-4 dependents)
Cultural and Religious Visitors (Q, R-1, and R-2)
Informant, Witness, and Victims of Crimes (S, T, and U)

"The US Embassy uses this information to determine applicants' eligibility to receive a visa," the consulate said, adding that since 2019, the US has required applicants to provide their social media usernames.

Under this, visa applicants must list all of their social media usernames, handles, or identifiers used in the past five years on the application form. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas, the embassy added.

This requirement for student and special occupations visa was first rolled out in June 2025 amid an immigration crackdown by US president Donald Trump.