In a notice updated on 18 September, the U.S. Department of State announced that, effective 1 October 2026, applicants for I (foreign media), TN and TD (USMCA professional workers and dependents) visas will be subject to the same social-media disclosure rules already applied to students, exchange visitors and H-series workers. Applicants must set all social-media profiles to ‘public’ for consular review. While the new classes principally affect Canadian and Mexican professionals, the policy applies worldwide to any applicant in the categories—meaning Chinese correspondents stationed in the U.S. and Chinese nationals working for Canadian or Mexican firms will need to comply. Consular officers may request additional usernames or reject applications that appear to conceal online activity. For Chinese multinationals that routinely send staff to North America under the TN pathway via Canadian subsidiaries, the change introduces fresh compliance risk. Mobility managers should (a) audit employees’ social-media footprints for potential red flags; (b) coach travellers on consistent disclosure across DS-160/DS-1648 forms; and (c) build the new requirement into document-collection checklists to avoid interview delays. The State Department emphasised that ‘every visa adjudication is fundamentally a national-security decision’ and that expanded vetting is a response to evolving threat assessments. Critics contend the measure disproportionately burdens legitimate travellers by forcing intrusive review of personal expression. Given the current geopolitical climate, experts expect the social-media rule to expand further. Companies should monitor future Federal Register notices and be prepared to update internal data-privacy guidance for China-based employees applying for U.S. visas.
Source: U.S. Department of State
