The U.S. Embassy and its Consulates have resumed student and exchange visitor visa appointments. Effective immediately, applicants for F, M, or J nonimmigrant visas are asked to set their social media accounts to 'public' to aid in identity verification and admissibility checks under U.S. law.
"We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security," stated the announcement.
Since 2019, social media identifiers have been required on both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms. Applicants must list all social media usernames or handles used over the past five years on the DS-160 form. They certify that their application information is true before submission. Omitting social media details may result in visa denial and future ineligibility.
For those unable to secure an appointment before June or July program start dates, expedited appointments can be requested online. For programs starting in August or later, applicants are advised to remain patient as new appointments will become available soon. It is necessary to attach a copy of the I-20 or DS-2019 showing the start date when requesting an expedited appointment.