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09 December 2025

US DOS announces changes to H-1B and H-4 visa vetting processes lead to appointment cancellations

Following the Department of State’s (DOS) 3 December 2025 announcement that it will expand the requirement for conducting online presence reviews to H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, some foreign nationals with visa appointments scheduled in December began receiving cancellation and reschedule notices. Specifically, Mission India posts are advising that the number of visa applications processed each day must be reduced in order to properly comply with this new requirement, and H-1B and H-4 visa applicants can consequently no longer be interviewed on their original appointment dates. On 18 June 2025, DOS announced that it would require all F, J, and M nonimmigrant visa applicants to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public” in order to facilitate comprehensive and thorough vetting of online presence. On 3 December, DOS announced that this requirement would be expanded to all H-1B visa applicants and their dependents, effective 15 December 2025.

A Tax Alert prepared by EY Law LLP group, and attached below, provides additional details.

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Attachment

Full text of Tax Alert

Document ID: 2025-2458

 

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