On December 3rd, local time, the U.S. Department of State announced that starting from December 15, it will expand the scope of online information review. Aside from students and exchange visitors who have already undergone this review, all H-1B visa applicants and their families (H-4) will also be subject to an online information review. To facilitate this review, all H-1B applicants and their families are required to adjust the privacy settings of all their social media accounts to “public.”
01. Expansion of Review Subjects
• Original scope: F visa (students), J visa (exchange visitors) applicants
• New scope: H-1B (work visa) primary applicants + H-4 spouses and children
02. Core Requirements of the Review
The U.S. Department of State will use available information during the visa screening and review process to identify visa applicants who do not meet the conditions for entering the United States, including those who “pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety.”
The main requirements for information review are: applicants must truthfully report all social media accounts, ensure that their information is in a public state accessible to review personnel, and accept the cross-comparison of publicly available content with visa application materials to verify information consistency and eligibility credibility.
03. What Should Visa Applicants and Holders Do?
In the current review environment, applicants and holders should prepare in advance in the following ways:
• Declare all information honestly and accurately: when filling out application materials, ensure that all information and social media accounts are reported truthfully without concealment, omission, or fabrication, to avoid extended reviews or impacts on applications due to inconsistent information.
• Maintain compliance of identity and materials: regularly check the visa status, passport validity, and consistency of key materials of oneself and family members, ensuring there are no expired, omitted, or unclear situations.
• Pay attention to public records of information: since online information has been included in the review process, applicants should ensure that personal social media content is clear, rational, and consistent, avoiding potentially misinterpreted expressions, and ensuring consistency of online and offline information.
• Seek professional assistance when encountering additional document requests or reviews: if receiving a notice for additional documents, needing further verification, or entering the administrative review process, consult professionals promptly to ensure that materials, processes, and explanations meet requirements, and to safeguard one's rights.
• Evaluate more stable long-term identity pathways: for professionals or families planning long-term development in the United States, exploring options like EB-5 investment immigration based on their needs can provide more choices for future planning.
04. Why is Early Planning More Necessary at This Time?
Long-term, Stable Identity?
With the expansion of the online information review scope, the scrutiny requirements for non-immigrant visas are becoming increasingly strict and detailed. Under this trend, simply relying on short-term visas is becoming insufficient to support long-term educational, work, or family planning needs.
As a result, more and more families are beginning to focus on more stable and controllable long-term identity solutions to establish a more reliable foundation for career development, children’s education, and family planning.
In the current policy environment, the new EB-5 regulations provide several significant advantages, particularly suitable for families looking to establish stable long-term identities: under the new EB-5 law, rural EB-5 projects have no waiting period and possess priority approval advantages; the “dual submission” policy allows applicants to submit both I-526E and I-485 simultaneously in the U.S., achieving a Combo Card within about three months, quickly obtaining lawful residence and work eligibility. Now is the critical window period for laying out American identity and seizing opportunities.
WorldWay holds two high-quality rural EB-5 projects, further assisting investors in securely, efficiently achieving American identity planning without a waiting period, and quickly embarking on a new life in the United States. Global quotas are limited, and seats are scarce—first come, first served!
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