The United States treats every visa adjudication as a national security decision, and since 2025 that has included a systematic review of applicants' online presence. The review was extended again on 30 March 2026. This note explains who is affected, what is actually required, and how it plays out at the US Embassy in Accra.
Everyone declares their identifiers
Since 31 May 2019 nearly all applicants completing the DS-160 (nonimmigrant) or DS-260 (immigrant) form have been required to list the social media identifiers they have used in the previous five years. That requirement is unchanged and applies to B1/B2 visitors as much as to anyone else. Omitting an account you actively use is a misrepresentation risk in its own right.
Who must set profiles to public
The instruction to set all social media profiles to "public" — so that consular officers can review them — now applies to the following categories:
- F, M and J student and exchange-visitor applicants, since June 2025;
- H-1B specialty workers and their H-4 dependants, since 15 December 2025;
- from 30 March 2026: A-3 and G-5 domestic employees of diplomats and international-organisation staff, C-3 domestic workers, H-3 trainees and their H-4 dependants, K-1, K-2 and K-3 fiancé(e)s, spouses and children, Q cultural exchange, R-1 and R-2 religious workers, and S, T and U applicants.
B-1 and B-2 visitor applicants are not on the public-profile list. That said, a consular officer has discretion to look at whatever is visible, and the practical advice is the same for everyone: what appears online — your employer, your travel history, your family circumstances — should be consistent with what you have written on the form and what you say at the window.
The Accra Embassy in practice
The Embassy states that interview waivers are granted only in extreme situations; plan for an in-person interview, and note that applicants whose names are not on the greeter's list for that day are not admitted. Since 15 September 2025 passport and document collection has moved from DHL to OIS at BC 53, 8 Peter Ala Adjetey Avenue, Labone, Accra. Premium delivery is available at USD 20 within Accra and USD 35 to Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi and Tema, charged in cedis. In March 2026 the Embassy released more than two thousand additional B1/B2 appointment slots, citing demand linked to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The "$250 visa integrity fee"
A great deal has been written about a new USD 250 "visa integrity fee" said to apply to all nonimmigrant visas. As at the date of this note it does not appear on the State Department's published fee schedule, and the US Embassy in Accra has issued no notice that it is being collected. Legal commentary is divided on whether and when it will be implemented. Until it appears on an official schedule, treat any request to pay it — particularly from an agent — with suspicion.
Sources
- US Department of State — Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants (effective 30 March 2026)
- US Department of State — Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for H-1B and H-4 Visa Applicants (December 2025)
- US Department of State — Collection of social media identifiers from US visa applicants (2019)
- US Embassy Ghana — Important visa information (interview waivers; OIS document collection)
- GBC Ghana Online — US Embassy in Ghana releases more than 2,000 visa appointment slots (March 2026)
West Side Travel Ltd is a private travel document advisory consultancy and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government department, embassy, consulate or visa-issuing authority. The above is drawn from official published sources and is general information only; requirements change and every application turns on its own facts. Talk to us before you file.