How Social Media Monitoring is Costing Indian Students US Visa?

Impact of Social Media Monitoring on Indian Students

After the introduction of the new, stricter process of the USA student visa application, many Indian students have shared their experiences. Social media monitoring was introduced in mid-2025 as one of the steps of the application process. The following are some of the recent experiences of Indian students who were rejected due to social media vetting.

• Kaushik Raj got his US student visa rejected recently, even after receiving a $100,000 scholarship to pursue journalism at Columbia University. He is a journalism student and posted his work online. He suggested the reason for rejection could be due to his posts on social media.

• Darsh Vatsa was planning to study at Trinity College in Connecticut. His US student visa got rejected one day before his flight to the USA. The reason for rejection was that he did not have enough proof to show that he would return to India. He also mentioned that he deleted hundreds of his social media posts to prevent himself from rejection due to social media monitoring in USA.

• Due to the social media vetting, students studying in USA are also hesitant to post online. One PhD student at Louisiana State University shared that she has stopped sharing her thoughts online, worried that her visa might be revoked.

• A 25-year-old student in New York also shared that he is now careful during phone calls with his partner overseas.

The social media monitoring impacts students who are aspiring to study in USA and also those who are currently enrolled in universities in USA. There is a constant fear of US student visas being revoked amongst international students.

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Why was Social Media Vetting Introduced in USA?

As a part of the US student visa process, social media monitoring for applicants has become a main hurdle. Several applications are rejected as the US Immigration Officers are not satisfied with the social media presence and engagement of the applicants. There are several reasons why social media vetting was introduced in USA. The US State Department focuses greatly on national security and ensures that all available information is used to carry out a detailed screening. Some of the most common reasons include:

Public Safety: To protect the public and ensure that people with true intentions enter the USA, social media vetting was initiated.

Identifying Frauds: As almost every individual has their social media profiles, it is easy to analyse the profiles and understand what a person is like. By examining online profiles, authorities can spot individuals who may not be allowed into USA according to current laws.

National Security: One of the major reasons to start social media monitoring was to be aware of people who are a national threat and can cause potential threats.

Verify Identification: Social media helps in identifying warning signs. These can be potential fraud that might not get confirmed through documentation.

Social Media Mistakes That Can Lead to US Student Visa Rejection

To prevent yourself from getting rejected in the US student visa process, make sure to avoid the following social media mistakes:

• Make sure to disclose all your social media accounts from the past five years on the DS-160 form. Do not lock your accounts or make them private. Hiding accounts might lead to rejection.

• Do not post or share any information that does not match the visa application. This must be followed where the information is regarding education, work history, future plans, etc.

• Do not post or promote anything that promotes violence, extremism, hate speech, or criminal activity.

• Carefully express your views on US culture, government, or foundational principles.

• Do not use fake names online which can create identification issues during the US student visa process.

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