USCIS Warns: Guests Must ‘Act Like It’ Under Expanded Social Media Vetting

(U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) has widened its social media vetting program in 2025, pressing visa and immigration applicants to share their account handles and signaling active, ongoing review for threats tied to national security and public safety. The move follows a series of policy actions across agencies and comes with a blunt warning from USCIS on X that officers are “on watch” for online behavior they view as risky.

“EVERYONE should be on notice. If you’re a guest in our country – act like it. Our robust social media vetting program to identify national security & public safety risks never stops. USCIS is on watch to find anything online that poses a threat to our nation & our way of life,” the agency posted, underscoring a tough enforcement tone and a steady expansion of online checks.

The expansion covers a wider set of immigration forms and formalizes the collection of social media identifiers from the last five years. It also aligns with a new White House order and a separate State Department step that makes some student and exchange visitors open their profiles to public view for consular review.

Policy expansion and new requirements

As of early 2025, USCIS has added structured social media questions to nine forms, including Form I-485, Form N-400, Form I-751, and Form I-589. Applicants must list platform names and user identifiers for the past five years.

Key form links:
– Form I-485: https://www.uscis.gov/i-485
– Form N-400: https://www.uscis.gov/n-400
– Form I-751: https://www.uscis.gov/i-751
– Form I-589: https://www.uscis.gov/i-589

The agency says the information helps:
– verify identity,
– spot fraud, and
– flag threats to the United States.

Officers review disclosed accounts and may document posts and interactions that appear linked to fraud or security risks. The scope reaches immigrant and nonimmigrant applicants, naturalization applicants, asylum seekers, and others seeking benefits through USCIS.

On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14161, directing uniform vetting standards across immigration agencies, including stronger social media checks to guard national security and public safety. This order is the latest step in a years-long buildout that began in 2016 and expanded under prior rules requiring social media handles on visa forms starting in 2019. The platform list now spans U.S. and international sites.

Separately, the State Department issued a policy update on June 18, 2025, requiring F-1, M-1, and J-1 applicants to set profiles to “public” so consular officers can review them. That policy focuses on fraud detection and signs of terrorism ties, antisemitism, or hostility toward the United States, and it calls for mandatory checks for people with past visa issues or protest participation.

Important warning:
– Refusing to provide requested identifiers or to make profiles public when asked can lead to delays or denials.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, these steps mean most applicants should now expect social media questions to be standard across many case types, with review practices that can influence outcomes at both USCIS and overseas consulates.

Impact on applicants and early results

USCIS reports that in the first 100 days of 2025, officers screened the social media activity of 3,568 subjects as part of fraud detection and national security work. The review led to the identification of thousands of fraud records and hundreds of referrals for criminal investigation or enforcement.

The agency also says it treats posts endorsing antisemitic terrorism or anti-American activity as negative factors when weighing immigration benefits.

How the process generally works

1. Application submission: Applicants complete forms that now include social media fields covering the past five years.
2. Data collection: USCIS stores platform names and user identifiers in the case file.
3. Social media review: Officers, often within the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, check accounts for ties to fraud, terrorism, or other threats.
4. Documentation: Officers save screenshots and notes.
5. Adjudication impact: Negative findings can lead to denial or further questions.
6. Referral: Cases with possible crimes or security issues may be forwarded to ICE or other agencies.

These checks can feel personal to applicants whose posts reflect humor, politics, or private life. Officers are tasked with looking for red flags such as:
– staged marriages or jobs,
– fake schools,
– sham travel plans, or
– praise for violence.

Even old posts can prompt questions if they appear to show fraud or support for groups tied to terrorism.

Practical steps applicants can take

• Make sure the list of platforms and handles is complete and correct.
• Remove fake or duplicate profiles in their names to reduce confusion.
• Review past posts for content that could be read as support for violence or fraud.
• Keep proof of major life events (jobs, school, marriage) in case posts trigger questions.

USCIS says the purpose is to confirm facts and protect the public. Still, the added screening can delay cases, especially if officers need time to match usernames or request more evidence. For students and exchange visitors at consulates, the State Department’s “public profile” rule can slow interviews if an officer cannot reach the profile or sees signs that need follow-up.

Legal and advocacy reactions

Civil liberties and immigrant rights groups warn that broad social media collection can chill free speech and intrude on privacy.

• Rachel Levinson-Waldman of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program has raised concerns about sweeping review for people who were already vetted or entered the country before these rules took hold. She points to the high stakes of immigration decisions and the risk that online speech can be misread outside its original context.
  
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  The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild opposes the surveillance rule, citing privacy harms, speech risks, and the chance that officers draw wrong conclusions from posts or translations. The group also argues that the process adds work for applicants and legal teams and that transparency is limited.

  
  

USCIS maintains that social media checks help catch lies, stop fraud, and guard the country. The agency’s early 2025 numbers reflect a steady pipeline of referrals tied to online findings, and it notes that support for antisemitic terrorism or anti-American activity will weigh against a case.

Public comment periods on social media collection rules closed in May 2025, and more litigation could follow. The Brennan Center estimates that the widened screening could touch about 3.6 million people each year. VisaVerge.com reports that future changes may fold this review into other security databases, including a SAVE system overhaul that better tracks criminal records and immigration history. Officials have hinted at more automated tools, though details have not been shared.

Where to find official updates

For official updates on policy and process, USCIS posts new guidance on its newsroom page: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom. Applicants and sponsors should:
– check that page before filing,
– confirm form editions, and
– follow any new filing tips on social media questions.

Key takeaway: Social media matters in immigration cases. Applicants should list their handles, expect review, and be prepared to explain old posts. The rules now reach far across the system—from green card and naturalization cases to student and exchange visitor visas abroad. USCIS frames the expansion as a response to national security risks; critics see a sweeping net that could catch lawful speech. For families, students, workers, and refugees, the practical advice is simple: be truthful, be complete, and consider how your online words may appear in an official file.