On Thursday, the State Department says it is conducting “continuous vetting” of all 55 million people holding valid U.S. visas, looking for any indication of ineligibility—from overstays and certain crimes to security concerns. If a violation is found, the visa can be revoked; if the person is in the U.S., removal may follow. In parallel, the administration paused issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers pending a vetting review. Social-media screening will again be one of the tools used in the vetting process.
What does it mean?
Thus far, there has been no written policy guidelines on this review process. The State Department states verbally that it is reviewing more than 55 million valid visa holders for potential rule violations, framing this as an extension of “continuous vetting” that already applied to subsets of travelers (notably students) and now encompasses everyone with a visa—tourists, workers, and students alike. The government emphasized that if post-issuance information emerges showing ineligibility, consular officers can revoke a visa—and if the person is present in the U.S., they can be placed in removal proceedings.
Consular officers have long had authority to revoke visas based on new derogatory information, often without a hearing. What’s new is the asserted universal scope and the promise to use a wider set of data sources, on a continuing basis, to trigger those revocations.
Who is affected?
Nearly all nonimmigrant visa holders are within scope (tourist B visas, students F/M/J, workers H/L/O, etc.). The 55 million number indicates the sweep also includes people outside the U.S. who hold multi-entry visas and may seek to return in the future.
Most travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries (roughly 40 nations) are not affected because they don’t need visas for short stays—though they face their own ESTA screening.
The State Department has not specifically mentioned permanent residents. However, since permanent residents are also holders of immigration visas, hence it would not surprising that the vetting process may also cover them. Typically, a green card holder who has been found to have committed a deportable offense will be placed in removal proceedings.
What counts as a “deportable” or revocable violation?
According to the State Department, screeners are looking for indicators of ineligibility such as overstays (remaining beyond an authorized period), criminal activity and threats to public safety, and terrorism involvement or material support to designated groups. If such information surfaces, visas may be revoked, and those present in the U.S. can be removed.
How will the expanded vetting work?
Officials say the reviews will include law-enforcement and immigration records and a broadened review of social media. Coverage this summer documented State Department guidance that student/exchange visa applicants must make social-media accounts public for review; major outlets also reported posts may be assessed for hostile or extremist content.
What to expect?
Recently, the State Department has revoked serveral thousands of student visas, most commonly tied to overstays, DUI/assault, or terrorism-related indicators. Under the current heightened vetting policy, students and researchers will be subject to heightened social-media scrutiny, processing delays, administrative processing, or revocations. Professional workers and employers should expect more RFEs (requests for evidence) from USCIS and 221(g) notices form consulates. Tourists and business visitors will find it more difficult and expensive to obtain temporary visitor visas.
