Green card application? You could soon be asked to hand over information about your social media presence as part of your green card or citizenship application. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a notice on March 5, 2025, in the Federal Register to state plans to gather social media data from millions of green card and citizenship applicants.
This policy comes in accordance with the executive order given by former President Donald Trump on January 20, known as “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.” The order instructs federal agencies to enhance their vetting mechanisms and review immigration and visa processes for possible security threats, restoring some of the earlier Trump administration’s policies.
The rule, if finalized, would need applicants to disclose social media identifiers but not login credentials. Following a statement provided by a spokesman for US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), reviewing social media accounts will assist with identifying fraud cases and determining if applicants are risks to security or public safety.
Rule Would Impact 3.5 Million Individuals
As estimated by the DHS, the proposal would concern about 3.5 million individuals.
“These types of forms that individuals are completing for these different benefit applications are very detailed and contain a lot of in-depth questions which routinely necessitate the support of a lawyer to complete and many of those questions are utilized to identify who is not qualified for a benefit due to derogatory information,” Kathleen Bush-Joseph, a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, informed Newsweek.
Public Feedback Sought Before Implementation
DHS has made the Federal eRulemaking Portal available for public comment on the proposed rule for 60 days. Once the feedback is reviewed, the department will determine whether to move forward with, revise, or withdraw the proposal.
Once approved, the policy will cover nine immigration forms, including:
- N-400 (Application for Naturalization)
- I-485 (Application for Adjustment of Status)
- I-589 (Application for Asylum and Withholding of Removal)
- I-590 (Registration for Classification as Refugee)
- I-730 (Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition)
- I-131 (Request for Travel Document)
- I-192 (Request for Advance Permission to Enter as Nonimmigrant)
- I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence)
- I-829 (Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status)
The rule seeks to improve national security but raises issues of privacy and heightened scrutiny in immigration requests.
