221(g) Issued for H1B, H4 Visa Interviews – Social Media Public Profile Review

As most of you know, on December 3rd, 2025, the US Department of State released a press note announcing the expansion of screening and vetting for H1B and H4 visa applicants seeking stamping.

To implement the same, the US Department of State also rescheduled many H1B and H4 Visa interviews that were between Dec 15th and December 25th, 2025. But, they left out a few appointments related to H1B and H4 visas. Those applicants went for their visa interview today and were handed out 221(g) administrative processing slips.

In this article, we will share user experiences, what really happened today, and share a copy of the 221(g) slip that was given by the US Consulate related to the Social Media profile vetting as well.

Background: Additional Vetting for H1B, H4 Applicants

Below is a brief summary of what has happened so far in relation to the additional vetting for H1B, H4 visa applicants:

• Earlier this year, in June 2025, the US Department of State resumed processing of F, M, and J Visa applicants and introduced additional vetting requirements for those visa applicants, advising them to make all their Social Media Profiles, which they declare on the DS-160 application, and to have their privacy settings set to “public”.
• On December 3rd, 2025, the US Department of State made an announcement that expanded the additional vetting and screening for H1B and H4 Visa applicants. Similar to the F, M, and J Visa applicants, H1B, H4 visa stamping applicants were asked to make the privacy settings of their social media profiles “public”. Read more at the article: More vetting for H1B, H4 Visa applicants Update
• On December 9th, 2025, the US Department of State cancelled many H1B, H4 visa appointments that were scheduled between December 15th and December 25th.
• Today, December 15th, 2025, some of the H1B, H4 applicants, whose appointments were not cancelled, visited the US Consulates in Chennai and Hyderabad for their interviews. Many of them were issued 221(g) Administrative processing slip. Let’s look at those details now.

Read background information, read complete details about 221g at: What is 221(g) Administrative Processing, How does it work?

221(g) Administrative Processing Slip Issued for H1B, H4 Visa Applicants

As per the official announcement by the US Department of State, starting today, December 15th, 2025, the US Department of State will conduct an additional review of the online presence of all H-1 B visa applicants and their H-4 visa dependents.

As part of the change, they will review the social media profiles data as well and users are advised to make their social media profiles public.

Today, some of the applicants, whose appointments were not cancelled, attended visa interviews in Chennai and Hyderabad. Some were attending H1B, H4 Visa interviews for the first time, and some were attending a visa interview for their renewals.

As per the feedback shared by users in our community groups, many of them were issued 221(g) Administrative Processing white slips stating that their social media profile needs to be reviewed.

Most of them were asked not to submit any documents; they were issued a white 221(g) slip with text “Social Media Public” written on it. Even though the applicants mentioned that they made their social media profiles public, they were issued 221g slips and their passports were collected.

Check out the Anonymous Tracker for 221(g) Administrative Processing for the latest cases.

221(g) Administrative Processing Slip Copy for Social Media Public Profile Screening

Below is the screenshot of the actual 221(g) administrative processing slip issued to one of our community members. Thanks to them for sharing it for everyone’s benefit. We really appreciate it !

After 221(g) Slip, H1B, H4 Visa Approved by Evening for Some

Some of the users got this 221(g) slip in the morning, and by evening, around 4 PM or so, a few of their CEAC statuses changed to “Approved”. Based on the limited data points, we can say that some of the users’ profiles cleared without any issues, and some did not clear on day 1.

Below is the screenshot of the confirmations from some of our community groups and other public groups:

You can check out the Anonymous Tracker for 221(g) Administrative Processing for more cases, updates

Based on the above few experiences so far, their systems are not fully ready, and there are some manual steps that are executed by the Visa Officers to issue the visa.

How to plan ahead for upcoming H1B, H4 Visa Interviews?

Due to these changes related to additional vetting, you must be prepared a lot more than what you need to for any upcoming H1B or H4 visa interview.

• You should be prepared to get a 221(g) Administrative processing slip, even if you have your social media profiles as public.
• Carry all relevant documents related to your H1B petition and be prepared to answer anything and everything about your H1B petition.
• If your social media profiles show something odd, you may be asked about the same, so be prepared for the same.
• If you are still in the US, it is a good idea to avoid attending an interview at this juncture, as many things are fluid and there is no clarity on what they are looking for.

What has been your experience with the new changes? What are you planning to do? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.