A new US State Department rule requiring all H-1B workers and their H-4 dependents to make their social-media accounts public for visa vetting has triggered deep anxiety across Indian immigrant communities, who make up the overwhelming majority of America’s high-skilled visa holders.
The policy, which takes effect December 15, comes as Indians account for more than 70 per cent of all H-1B approvals and nearly 90 per cent of H-4 EAD holders, many of whom have built careers, mortgages and children’s schooling around uninterrupted legal status.
Immigration lawyers say the new mandate, which allows consular officers to review applicants’ public posts on platforms like X, Instagram and LinkedIn, has created palpable fear. Even mundane remarks, political opinions or misaligned rsum details could trigger extra scrutiny.
For many, the anxiety has already turned to disruption. Tech firms with large Indian workforces are advising employees to audit social profiles, avoid sharing political memes and use professional emails on petitions.
According to a report in The Times of India, visa interview appointments across Indian consulates have been abruptly cancelled, including those at Hyderabad and Chennai. Many applicants learned their December slots had been pushed to March 2026, leaving new hires unable to start jobs, families stranded abroad and travellers stuck after short visits home for weddings or to drop off parents.
According to the State Department, the new rule expands the online-presence review already used for students and exchange visitors. “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the agency said. Applicants must now adjust all social-media profiles to public settings to allow officers to inspect them.
The department defended the policy as essential to identifying threats. “A US visa is a privilege, not a right,” the guidance says, stressing that vetting will help ensure entrants “do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests.”
But for hundreds of thousands of Indian families, including an estimated 200,000 H-4 spouses whose jobs hinge on timely renewals, the policy has added yet another layer of uncertainty to an already fragile immigration system.
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