New US visa regulation: Applicants must make their social media accounts public.

If you are applying for a U.S. student visa or exchange visa (categories F, M, and J) from Thailand, there is an important change: Consular officers are now conducting enhanced background checks as part of the visa application process. This change follows a temporary suspension of student visa interviews from May 27 to June 18, 2025. Visa appointments have since resumed, but with significantly increased background checks on applicants' online activity and security risks, as announced by the U.S. Department of State on June 21, 2025. According to the official announcement, consular officers will more thoroughly review publicly available online information, including social media, digital publications, and other online content. While applicants are not required to set all profiles to "public," insufficient access for identity and activity verification may lead to processing delays or requests for additional documentation. What consular officials look out for: Officials are instructed to look out for the following: indications of fraud or misrepresentation, terrorist content, anti-Semitic or hateful statements, hostile attitudes towards the U.S. government or U.S. citizens, previous visa violations, including visa overstays, SEVIS suspensions or participation in political protests, even posts you have written until very recently.