US Embassy Advises Indian Students to Keep Social Media Public for Entire Visa Period

 US Students Alert: Keep Your Social Media Public for Entire Visa Duration, Says US Embassy

If you're an Indian student planning to head to the United States this academic season, here's something important to keep in mind—your social media privacy settings could impact your visa journey.

In a statement that has caught the attention of thousands of aspiring international students, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi has advised that students must keep their social media profiles set to “public” not just during the visa application process, but for the entire duration of their visa validity—essentially, for the whole time they are studying in the U.S.

The advisory applies to all student and exchange visitor visa categories, specifically F-1, M-1, and J-1 visas. A spokesperson from the U.S. Embassy explained that keeping social media accounts public will help facilitate the mandatory vetting process that each applicant undergoes.

“Security vetting runs from the time of each application, through adjudication of the visa, and afterwards during the validity period of every issued visa, to ensure the individual remains eligible to travel to the United States,” the spokesperson said in response to a query from The Indian Express.

This means the U.S. authorities don’t stop reviewing your profile once your visa is approved. They continue monitoring activity to ensure that visa holders continue to meet eligibility requirements—even after they’ve landed and settled in the country.

The move may raise privacy concerns for many students, but it’s being positioned as part of broader security and vetting protocols. U.S. visa officers use available public information to cross-check identity, intent, and eligibility. With social media being a key part of modern identity, it has naturally become part of that scrutiny.

This update is especially relevant now, as the academic year in the U.S. is about to begin in August and thousands of Indian students are in the final stages of their travel and study plans.

In the 2023-24 academic year, Indian students made up the largest group of international students in the United States. According to U.S. State Department data, the U.S. issued over 7.2 lakh student and exchange visas to Indian nationals—specifically, 4,00,737 F-1 visas (for academic students), 6,322 M-1 visas (for vocational training), and 3,22,820 J-1 visas (for exchange visitors).

For students, this new guidance means a re-think of their online presence. Posts, likes, comments, and even the groups you follow could be visible to visa officials, so maintaining a clean and consistent digital footprint is more important than ever.

If you're planning to study in the U.S., it's probably a good idea to review your profiles now, clean up any potentially controversial content, and think twice before posting something that might raise eyebrows.

While the requirement to keep accounts public may seem intrusive, it's fast becoming part of the global norm in international travel and immigration. The bottom line? Your social media is no longer just your own personal space—it could play a role in your student journey abroad.