US requires public social media profiles for student and exchange visas

People applying for US student or exchange visas must now make their social media profiles public, under new rules designed to aid identity and background checks.

Student and exchange visa applicants must make social media public, US Embassy in Warsaw says.

Photo: Timothy Hales Bennett/ lookphoto/Unsplash.com/CC0

The new requirement applies immediately to all applicants for non-immigrant study or exchange visas, who must ensure their social media accounts are set to public.

It affects those applying for academic (F), vocational (M), and exchange (J) visas, including government-backed cultural and research programmes.

The US Embassy in Warsaw said the aim is to simplify verification procedures and help officials confirm applicants’ identities and immigration eligibility.

Since 2019, applicants have had to list all social media usernames used in the previous five years on their visa forms.

The new rule builds on that by requiring those accounts to be publicly visible.

Ze skutkiem natychmiastowym wszystkie osoby ubiegające się o wizę nieimigracyjną w celu podjęcia nauki w Stanach...

Opublikowany przez U.S. Embassy Warsaw Wtorek, 24 czerwca 2025

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Source: U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Poland