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USCIS to Require Social Media Profiles for Green Card Applications
In a significant shift in the green card application process, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will now require applicants to provide their social media handles as part of the application. This move comes after President Donald Trump’s executive order, which aims to vet those who might harbor anti-American sentiments.
As of March 31, 2025, USCIS will begin requesting that asylum seekers, permanent residency applicants, and naturalization candidates disclose their social media profiles during the immigration process. The agency emphasizes that it will not require passwords or access to the accounts, but rather simply the handles themselves.
The move is not entirely new, as the State Department has been requiring social media handles for visa applications since 2019. However, critics argue that this expanded policy poses significant concerns regarding free speech and online activity.
Professors Dr. Matt Schmidt and Dr. Cliff Lampe expressed their reservations about the potential impact on individuals’ right to express themselves online. “The concern is that this new rule would be imposing a free-speech burden on people already in the country legally,” said Dr. Schmidt, professor of national security and political science.
Dr. Lampe, an associate dean at the University of Michigan’s School of Information, added, “This could lead to a proliferation of secondary handles created solely for authorities, which would be scrubbed of any potentially problematic content.” He also warned that the lack of social media presence could raise suspicions, as some individuals may not have online profiles.
The policy change has sparked concerns about potential self-censorship and the chilling effect it might have on online speech. Critics argue that applicants will likely alter their social media behavior to avoid drawing unwanted attention from authorities, stifling free expression in the process. This would be especially concerning for those without social media profiles altogether.
It is estimated that around 36% of the global population does not use social media, according to data from Smart Insights. Those individuals could face additional scrutiny due to their lack of online presence.
In addition to these concerns, experts suggest that scanning social media profiles may not be a reliable method for assessing an individual’s beliefs or intentions. Technology industry analyst Rob Enderle explained that people often alter their behavior to avoid drawing attention to themselves. “Many will either not use it, or use it under a false identity, so what they say and do can’t be traced back to them,” he said.
Furthermore, there have been instances of social media security breaches, where individuals’ IDs and passwords were stolen and fake posts made in their names, further complicating the process.
In conclusion, while scanning social media may potentially uncover some anti-American sentiment, it is far from a reliable indicator. The concerns surrounding this policy change are significant, and experts warn that it has the potential to stifle free expression and create false impressions about an individual’s character.
As the USCIS begins implementing this new requirement, it remains to be seen whether these measures will effectively achieve their stated goals or inadvertently create more issues than they solve.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2025/03/31/social-media-profiles-could-be-needed-to-get-a-green-card/
