A recent Reddit post has reignited anxiety among US H-1B visa applicants after a woman claimed her application was sent for additional scrutiny simply because she answered “no” to a question about making her social media accounts public during her visa interview.
The development comes amid stricter social media vetting introduced by the US State Department for H-1B and H-4 applicants, a move that has already disrupted visa processing at US consulates, particularly in India.
According to multiple social media accounts, consular offices that previously handled hundreds of interviews daily have been forced to drastically reduce slots due to the time-intensive vetting process. Hundreds of H-1B visa holders were reportedly informed at the last moment that their appointments scheduled for this month had been rescheduled to mid-2026.
Applicants say the sudden changes have caused widespread uncertainty, especially for those facing tight employment timelines in the US.
‘I Told Visa Officer No’: Redditor Shares Her Experience
The Redditor said her interview took place roughly two weeks after the new vetting process began. During the interview, the visa officer asked whether she had listed all her social media accounts on the DS-160 form and whether those accounts were set to public.
“I told the visa officer no,” she wrote, explaining that unlike many applicants, she had not pre-emptively made her social media profiles public before the interview.
Unexpected DS-5535 Form
Following her response, the visa officer issued her a 221(g) slip, which indicates refusal pending additional administrative processing. She was also given a DS-5535 form, an extra document not typically seen in routine H-1B visa interviews.
“They asked me to fill out DS-5535 with all my social media accounts and ensure they stay public. They didn’t take my passport, and my CEAC status shows ‘REFUSED’,” she said.
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What Do 221(g) Slips Really Mean?
221(g) slips come in different colours, white, blue, pink, and yellow, each reflecting a different stage or level of scrutiny. While some colours indicate routine processing delays, pink slips can signal heightened suspicion and more detailed verification. The Redditor did not disclose which colour she received.
Officially titled Supplemental Questions for Visa Applicants, the DS-5535 form is used for enhanced security and background checks. It has no fixed processing timeline, and applicants may wait weeks or months for a final decision. Some users noted in the comments that they had encountered the same form during earlier H-1B applications, including in 2021.