The U.S. State Department (DOS) has announced expanded visa screening procedures impacting H-1B specialty occupation workers and their H-4 dependents applying for visas at U.S. consular posts abroad. Beginning December 15, 2025, all H-1B specialty occupation workers and their H-4 dependents applying for visas at U.S. consular posts abroad will be subject to mandatory online presence reviews. This expanded requirement extends a policy previously implemented for F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visa applicants. As part of this requirement, H-1B applicants and their H-4 dependents (as well as applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas) are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public” to facilitate the vetting process. Consular officers will review publicly available online content, including social media posts, comments, photos, and other internet-accessible information as part of their visa adjudication process.
The additional screening layer will likely increase visa processing timelines at consulates. Some U.S. embassies and consulates have already begun canceling and rescheduling visa appointments to implement the new vetting procedures. Beginning December 8, 2025, some applicants with H-1B and H-4 visa appointments in India began receiving notices that their consular interviews scheduled on or after December 15, 2025, were being unilaterally rescheduled, many to March 2026. Some appointments have even been rescheduled to June 2026. There are reports of similar appointment rescheduling at consulates in Ireland and Vietnam.
Employers should alert their H-1B workers that U.S. consulates are now required to conduct an online presence/social media review for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants. This type of review only applies to applicants applying for H-1B and H-4 visas overseas at a U.S. consulate abroad and does not apply to H-1B and H-4 petitions filed within the U.S. through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If an applicant already has an approved petition for H-1B or H-4 status issued by USCIS, he or she will still be subject to the online presence review when applying for a corresponding visa stamp to be placed in their passport at an overseas U.S. consulate. They may face potential delays in returning to the U.S. as their appointments may be delayed, and it will take consular officers more time to review H-1B and H-4 visa applications with the new additional screening requirement. If a consular official deems online content concerning, the application could be denied, or the consular officer could request a follow-up interview and further screening. Even applications without specific issues may experience longer processing times due to the expanded review requirements.
The Bottom Line
Employers should alert H-1B workers that the process of renewing H-1B and H-4 visas at an overseas U.S. Consulate now includes a mandatory review of an applicant’s social media accounts. This requirement also extends to H-4 visas for dependent family members. Failure to comply with the requirement to set social media settings to public could be viewed negatively, as could a lack of social media presence. If an applicant has made posts that are political in nature or critical of the administration and its policies, it may be prudent for the applicant to forgo international travel.
Employers should also caution H-1B workers and their families that if they have H-1B and/or H-4 consular visa appointments scheduled for a date on or after December 15, 2025, there is a strong likelihood that it will be rescheduled for several months out which will significantly delay their return if they leave. Impacted H-1B workers and their families should strongly reconsider international travel or risk getting delayed overseas for an extended period of time.
Employers should factor the increased timeframe into project timelines and staffing plans, and for the time being, should strongly encourage H-1B workers to avoid discretionary international travel that could result in longer than anticipated delays in returning to the U.S.
We will continue to keep you informed on developments in this area. If you have any questions regarding this or other business immigration issues, please contact the authors of this Alert, Geetha Adinata, Chair of FordHarrison’s Business Immigration Practice Group at gadinata@fordharrison.com, and Christine Rodriguez, attorney in our Atlanta office and member of our Business Immigration Practice Group at crodriguez@fordharrison.com. Of course, you can also contact the FordHarrison attorney with whom you usually work or any member of the Business Immigration Practice Group.