New US Visa Rules: Zimbabwean Students Must Make Social Media Public
Zimbabwean students hoping to study or participate in exchange programmes in the United States now face tougher vetting processes. Under new guidelines, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas must set their social media accounts to public, or risk being denied entry.
“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to ‘public’ to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law,”
— U.S. Embassy London Consular (@USAinUKConsular), 23 June 2025
This means Zimbabweans applying for university study, vocational training, or cultural exchange programmes in the US must ensure their online profiles are visible to visa adjudicators.
Why the sudden change?
The policy shift follows a June 18, 2025 announcement by the U.S. State Department. It expands screening and vetting processes to include deeper scrutiny of applicants’ online behaviour.
“We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security,”
— U.S. Department of State, 18 June 2025
The US government now requires visa applicants to list all social media usernames used in the past five years on the DS-160 visa form. This has been a requirement since 2019. However, what’s new is that consular officers will only accept public profiles for vetting purposes.
“Applicants who keep their accounts private may be deemed as trying to hide their activity,”
— U.S. State Department Spokesperson
The spokesperson added that officials are now instructed to look for “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.”
How Zimbabweans are affected
For Zimbabweans, this development adds a new layer of pressure. Many students use pseudonyms, nicknames, or restricted settings on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X. Under the new rules, any omission or privacy setting may result in disqualification.
“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 years… Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,”
— U.S. Mission Mali, 24 June 2025
Given the popularity of F visas among Zimbabwean students, especially those heading to institutions through scholarship programmes, the implications are significant. Failing to comply with the new digital transparency requirement could mean losing out on academic opportunities.
In practical terms, that could mean Zimbabwean applicants will now have to allow US officials to browse their posts, comments, and associations online — including content shared in vernacular languages like Shona or Ndebele.
A matter of national security
The U.S. insists that these new vetting procedures are part of its broader effort to protect its borders and citizens.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,”
— U.S. Department of State
Student visa appointments, which had been paused in May, are now resuming. However, only those applicants who meet the new online transparency standard will proceed.
Zimbabwean applicants are advised to double-check their social media privacy settings, usernames, and past posts before submitting any application. The US Embassy in Harare has not yet issued a local advisory, but all updates are expected to appear on the consulate’s website.
Those uncertain about their eligibility are encouraged to seek legal or academic advisory support before applying.
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