USCIS Expands Review Criteria for Certain Immigration Applications Involving Discretion, Including Online Activity and Ideological Associations

What’s Happening?

On August 19, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released updated policy guidance that changes how the agency reviews a range of immigration applications. The updates, which revise Chapter 8 of the USCIS Policy Manual, direct immigration officers to take a broader look at an applicant’s background, including public online activity, ideologies, and associations, when deciding whether to approve a request for certain immigration benefits.

These changes primarily impact applications that involve discretionary review, meaning that, in addition to confirming an applicant meets statutory and regulatory eligibility criteria, officers must also weigh an applicant’s eligibility alongside a broader assessment of their background to determine if approval is warranted.

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DS-160 and DS-260 Applications Now Contain New Social Media Question

Following a 2017 Presidential Memorandum issued by the Trump Administration, which called for heightened screening and vetting of visa applicants, the Department of State has included a new question on forms DS-160 and DS-260, which are used for nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applicants at U.S. consulates respectively, which ask about social media use. The question requires applicants to list all social media platforms they use and include associated handles used by applicants for those platforms during the 5-year period preceding the date of the application.

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