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USCIS Plans to Collect Social Media Info on Key Immigration Forms: What Applicants Need to Know

  • visa code
  • Sep 19
  • 2 min read

Updated: Sep 20

If you’re applying for U.S. citizenship, a green card, asylum, investor status, or other immigration benefits, the paperwork just got wider. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced plans to start collecting social media identifiers as part of the application process. This change affects popular forms like N-400 (naturalization), I-485 (green card), I-131 (travel document), I-192 (advance permission to enter), and several others.


This proposal can be found here.


Who is affected?


The following programs and forms may soon ask for social media handles:


  1. N-400 (Naturalization)

  2. I-131 (Travel Document)

  3. I-192 (Advance Permission to Enter as a Nonimmigrant)

  4. I-485 (Permanent Residence/Adjustment of Status)

  5. I-589 (Asylum/Withholding of Removal)

  6. I-590 (Refugee Classification)

  7. I-730 (Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition)

  8. I-751 (Remove Conditions on Residence)

  9. I-829 (Investor Remove Conditions)


Why Is This Happening?


USCIS is following new rules aimed at improving identity checks, security, and preventing fraud. The agency will use social media identifiers to help verify the identities of applicants and to screen for security issues, as required by recent executive orders.


Executive Order 14161, Jan 30, 2025, requires USCIS to follow strict identity checks and security screening for anyone applying for immigration benefits. To do this, USCIS will ask for social media handles (like usernames on Facebook or Twitter) from certain applicants as part of the forms and systems used for immigration applications. This extra step is meant to strengthen vetting and help spot risks to national security or public safety


Estimate of the total number of affected applicants:


Every year, millions of people file these forms, and that’s millions of possible requests for social media info. For example:


  1. N-400 citizenship form: about 900,000 annual applicants (0.67 hours each for paperwork)

  2. I-485 green card form: over 1 million annual applicants (also 0.67 hours each)

  3. I-131 travel document: 1 million annual applicants (1.17 hours each)


How Can You Comment on This Change?


The government is accepting public comments until October 16, 2025. Concerned applicants, families, and legal professionals can make their voices heard online via the Federal eRulemaking Portal (regulations.gov), mentioning the OMB control numbers listed above.


What Does This Mean for My Application?


Don’t panic, social media identifiers are just one tool in USCIS’s screening and identity verification process. If you apply using any of the affected forms, be accurate and transparent. Consulting with a qualified lawyer is the best way to avoid delays and confusion.


 
 
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