KUALA LUMPUR – The United States now requires all applicants for F, M, and J student visas to make their personal social media accounts public, as part of its visa screening and vetting process aimed at safeguarding national security.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said on Facebook today.
“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their personal social media accounts to public to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States.”
The measure follows a broader policy introduced in 2019, requiring applicants for both immigrant and non-immigrant visas to provide their social media identifiers.
The US government uses all available information—including social media activity—to determine if applicants may be inadmissible or pose a security threat, the Embassy noted.
Although student visa processing was temporarily suspended in May, the US State Department department confirmed that it resumed the process on June 19. However, new applicants who do not grant public access to their social media accounts risk being rejected.
The updated protocol has caused unease among international students awaiting visa interviews, particularly with academic terms approaching and travel arrangements still pending.
Many students have been closely monitoring consulate websites and official updates in hopes of securing appointments.
Reports have surfaced of students from countries such as China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines sharing their frustrations and tracking updates via social media platforms and US State Department briefings as they try to navigate the renewed visa procedures. – June 30, 2025