People who want to immigrate to the US may be required to report their social media accounts to the government

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the US government agency that oversees immigration, is reportedly proposing a policy that would require people applying for green cards, US citizenship, asylum or refugee status to declare their social media profiles.

Federal Register :: Agency Information Collection Activities; New Collection: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Social Media Identifier(s) on Immigration Forms

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/03/05/2025-03492/agency-information-collection-activities-new-collection-generic-clearance-for-the-collection-of

Trump's USCIS wants to review all prospective citizens' social media accounts | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/policy/624945/trump-uscis-social-media-review-policy

The proposal is based on an Executive Order, titled ' Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats ,' which was published in the Federal Register and directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other government agencies to 'identify all resources available to ensure that all foreign nationals seeking admission to or already in the United States are vetted and screened to the maximum extent possible.'

According to USCIS, the submission of social media accounts is 'required for rigorous vetting and screening purposes' and is intended to verify the identity of immigration applicants and enhance security screening.

According to The Verge, the proposal is based on a State Department policy introduced in 2019. The State Department policy only applied to visa applicants from overseas, but the proposed change would include green card and citizenship applicants, asylum seekers, refugees, and those who have been granted asylum status, as well as their relatives. According to USCIS estimates, the policy would affect more than 3.5 million people.

The Trump administration has already indefinitely suspended refugee admissions and revoked temporary protected status for Venezuelans and Haitians. Migration Policy Institute analyst Kathleen Bush-Joseph called the move an 'attempt to catch up,' but said she's watching closely to see if it's part of an effort by the Trump administration to restrict legal immigration.

Catalyze/Citizens, an immigrant advocacy group, criticized the USCIS proposal as 'weaponizing digital platforms against immigrants' and issued a statement saying, 'This is not immigration policy, it's authoritarian and undemocratic surveillance.'

According to the Federal Register, the proposed policy is open for 60 days of comment, ending Monday, May 5, 2025. USCIS estimates that the policy would result in approximately 286,000 administrative hours per year, but will not impose any additional costs on applicants.