The United States Embassy in Dhaka has requested all individuals applying for F, M, or J category nonimmigrant visas to change the privacy settings of their social media accounts to "public."
In a notice published on Thursday, the embassy stated that this step is necessary to facilitate the vetting process used to verify the applicant’s identity and assess their admissibility to the United States.
Earlier on June 18, the US State Department announced new guidelines requiring foreign student visa applicants to make their social media profiles public to facilitate screening for anti-American content.
The move followed a temporary pause in issuing student visas at the end of May to develop the new vetting policy.