The US State Department started social media vetting of H-1B, H-4 visa applicants from December 15 in a major immigration check. Visa officers are going through all the social media handles of the applicants to check for any anti-American content and applications are getting approved accordingly, at the end of the day or a few days later — not instantly. This new social media vetting led to major chaos in the visa situation as the consular offices in India handle several interviews daily but the social media vetting required the number to be drastically reduced. Hundreds of H-1B visa holders were notified at the last moment that their appointments this month have been rescheduled to the middle of 2026. As social media users are sharing their experiences of social media vetting, it has now become clear that the visa officers are asking the candidates whether they are aware of the new process and whether they have made all social media accounts public. They are being handed over 221(g) slip which says the application is refused but after some time the status is getting changed to ‘approved’. One Redditor said that the visa officer asked them whether they mentioned all social media accounts in DS-160 and the person said ‘no’. The person stated that their passport was not taken by the officer and they were asked to fill out a DS-5535 form, which required listing all social media accounts and ensuring these accounts remained public. The person said the case status was showing ‘refused’.
What is DS-160?
DS-160 is an online form required for most US non-immigrant visas. This needs to be submitted before the visa interview. This is the form where the applicants are now supposed to list their social media handles used in the last 5 years like Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr, WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat etc.
What is DS-5535?
This form is issued by the visa officer only in certain cases, after a visa interview. This form is officially called the ‘Supplemental Questions for Visa Applicants’. It is used for enhanced security and background vetting. Candidates who are listing all their social media handles in DS-160 are not getting this form. This form does not mean denial but it can take several weeks and months.
