US Will Now Screen Journalists' Social Media Before Approving Visas

Applying for a US visa already means handing over passports, financial records and travel history. Foreign journalists heading to America for work may now need to add something far more personal to that pile: their social media history, laid bare for a consular officer to review.

According to an internal US State Department memo obtained by The Daily Signal, the US will expand an existing social media vetting programme to include foreign journalists applying for media visas. The policy will also apply to applicants seeking TN visas, a work visa commonly used by qualified professionals from Canada and Mexico.

What the New Screening Policy Means 

The expanded policy applies to foreign journalists applying for I visas, the category issued to reporters, photographers, documentary filmmakers and other media professionals working for news organisations based outside the United States. 

According to the memo,  consular officers will review applicants' social media activity as part of the visa adjudication process to identify potential security concerns and determine whether they meet US immigration requirements.

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This builds on the State Department's existing online presence vetting programme, which already requires applicants for F, M and J visas, covering students, vocational trainees and exchange visitors, to make their social media profiles public for review before a visa decision is made. The latest guidance reportedly extends that requirement to journalists applying for I visas and TN visa applicants, although it remains unclear when the expanded policy will take effect.