The U.S. Embassy in Kampala is now asking student visa applicants to make their social media accounts public — or risk being denied entry to the United States.
In a post shared Tuesday, the Embassy said this is part of identity and admissibility checks required under U.S. law.
“Starting now, if you’re applying for a student visa (F, M, or J category visa), make sure your social media accounts are set to public,” the Embassy posted on X, formerly Twitter, on June 24. “This helps with the identity and admissibility checks required by U.S. law.”
The statement went on to warn applicants:
“Not including this info could result in a visa denial or make you ineligible for future visas. Be honest, double check your application, and make sure everything is accurate before submitting.”
Applicants are required to list every social media handle used in the last five years on the DS-160 visa application form. Before submitting, they must certify that the information provided is complete and true.
This change comes just days after the U.S. resumed processing student visa applications.
In an earlier notice posted Monday, the Embassy wrote:
“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to the public to facilitate the vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law.”
The move is consistent with broader efforts by the Trump administration to tighten oversight of U.S. visa programs.
Last month, the administration ordered consulates worldwide to pause new interviews for student and exchange visitor visas. At the same time, officials voiced concerns about lax background checks under the Biden administration — claiming the system had been “loosely vetted” and vulnerable to fraud.
Now, consular officers are being directed to look more closely at online activity — searching for signs of hostility toward American values, institutions, or citizens.
The Department of State says this form of “social media vetting” will play a larger role going forward. It includes scanning platforms like Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok to determine whether an applicant poses any concern.
The U.S. government argues that reviewing social media helps enhance national security. Since 2019, both immigrant and nonimmigrant applicants have been required to provide their social media identifiers.
The policy targets three types of student visas:
- The F visa, for academic students attending universities or other higher education institutions.
- The M visa, for students at vocational or trade schools.
- And the J visa, for cultural and educational exchange visitors.
The recent policy push follows a year marked by widespread pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses — demonstrations that officials say prompted renewed scrutiny of who is allowed to study in the country.
