Immigration & Social Media

Is the U.S. government looking at my social media accounts?

If you are applying for a visa through the U.S. State Department—yes. This includes people applying for tourist visas and people who have their immigrant visa interviews at a consulate outside the U.S.

If you are applying for immigration benefits with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) inside the U.S.—not right now. In the past, DHS has monitored the social media accounts of people petitioning for immigration benefits, their petitioners, and their legal representatives. The Biden administration has stopped this practice, but it is subject to change in the future.

What information can the State Department access?

The U.S. State Department collects social media identifiers from all visa applicants. They can obtain data from anything a person posts publicly on the internet, including posts, comments, photos, and videos. They can also see comments or photos that a person’s friends tag them in.

What is the State Department looking for?

According to the State Department, they gather immigrant’s social media data for the sake of national security. For the average person seeking an immigration benefit, this may mean looking for signs of drug use, criminal activity, fraud, or ties to terrorist groups.

What advice do we have for our clients?

Keep in mind that the information you put online about yourself, your spouse, your partner, your children, or any friends or family members never goes away. The government can use any derogatory information found about an individual online to deny immigration benefits at any time. Be sure to update your privacy settings to limit the public visibility of your personal information, and avoid posting or sending information or photos on social media that appear to be in favor of drugs, gangs, or illegal activity.

Immigration lawyer Inna Scott and her team at Global Law Advocates specialize in helping immigrants of all kinds gain legal status and other immigration benefits in the United States. To consult with an experienced attorney about your immigration options, call us at 206-774-8758 or send us an email at info@globallawadvocates.com.