Millions of immigrants could soon have to reveal their social media on these US forms

Daniel Shoer Roth, Miami Herald on Sep 18, 2025

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The U.S. government has proposed requiring immigration applicants — including those seeking permanent residence, naturalization, asylum, or refugee status — to disclose their social media identifiers on official immigration forms.

The measure, published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Federal Register on Sept. 16, 2025, is intended to strengthen identity verification and national security.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the new requirement would apply to several key immigration benefit forms.

The rule is part of Executive Order 14161 (“Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats”), signed in January 2025, which directs agencies to raise security and identity verification standards in immigration processes.

Immigration forms that will could require social media identifiers

According to the Federal Register notice, applicants would have to provide their social media identifiers in immigration processes such as:

— N-400: Application for Naturalization

— I-131: Application for Travel Document

— I-192: Application for Advance Permission to Enter as Nonimmigrant

— I-485: Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status

— I-589: Application for Asylum and Withholding of Removal

— I-590: Registration for Classification as Refugee

— I-730: Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition

— I-751: Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence

— I-829: Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status

How many immigrants would be affected by the new USCIS rule?

USCIS estimates that, in just one year, more than 3 million applicants would have to include their social media accounts.

The total impact amounts to more than 3.2 million additional hours of administrative burden for applicants.

Why does the U.S. government want immigrants’ social media?

The official goal is to reinforce identity verification and national security background checks.

According to USCIS, this information is expected to help determine more accurately whether an applicant poses a threat to the security or public safety of the United States.

What should applicants for U.S. residency, asylum or citizenship do?

— The rule is still open for public comment until Oct. 16, 2025.

— Comments can be submitted through regulations.gov using docket number USCIS-2025-0003.

— The agency clarified that there will be no additional costs for applicants, although completing the forms will now take longer.

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