United States: Starting October 1, State Department Will Expand Online Presence Review to TN, TD, and I Visa Applicants

Starting October 1, 2026, TN and TD (US-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA) professionals and their dependents), and I (foreign media representatives) applicants will undergo a review of their online presence as part of their visa applications at U.S. consulates abroad, according to a State Department announcement. A visa applicant’s online presence includes their social media accounts and activity, as well as information in online databases and websites. Under the review process, TN, TD, and I visa applicants will be required to set their social media privacy settings to “public” to facilitate State Department review of their social media content and activity.

The agency announcement does not provide details on the standard to be applied in the review, but it is expected that if an applicant’s online presence is found to contain information perceived by the government as derogatory, more extensive security screening may be triggered, resulting in increased delays and possible visa refusal.

An online presence review has been in place for F, M and J visa applicants since late June 2025; for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants since December 2025; and for all A-3, C-3 (if a domestic worker), G-5, H-3, H-4 dependents of H-3, K-1, K-2, K-3, Q, R-1, R-2, S, T, and U visa applicants since March 2026.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.