United States | State Department expands social media vetting to TN, TD and foreign media visa applicants

The State Department announced that, effective Oct. 1, 2026, it will expand its online presence review process to additional nonimmigrant visa (NIV) categories, including TN and TD applicants under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and I visa applicants for foreign media representatives.

Key takeaways:

Expanded social media screening. Beginning Oct. 1, the Department of State will broaden online presence reviews to include applicants for I, TN and TD nonimmigrant visas.

Public profile requirement. Applicants in these categories will be instructed to set the privacy settings on all social media accounts to “public” or “open” to facilitate vetting.

Part of a broader screening framework. The expansion adds I, TN and TD visas to a growing list of visa classifications already subject to enhanced online presence review, including but not limited to F, M, H-1B, H-3, H-4 dependents of H-1B and H-3, J, K, Q, R, S, T and U categories.

Additional information: Effective March 30, 2026, the State Department first expanded the requirement for “online presence review” to include certain NIV classifications in addition to other classes already subject to expanded screening and vetting.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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