US H-1B application: Woman says 'no' to THIS question in interview, gets DS-5535 form. Here is what happened

A Redditor on Monday shared her experience of an H-1B visa interview at a US consulate in her country (unspecified), two weeks after the US State Department began vetting social media accounts for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants.

Most H-1B visa interviews now involve DS-160 forms, which are quite common for non-immigrant visa applicants, and 221(g) slips, which basically notify you of additional processing time (in most cases). However, her interview included an additional slip not often mentioned in visa discussions online.

Speaking about her recent visa interview, the Redditor explained that she was asked the usual question of whether she had listed all her social media accounts in the DS-160 form, and if she had turned them all 'public'.

"I told (the Visa Officer) no," she explained, unlike usual visa interviews, where people would already have listed their social media accounts beforehand, and made them public.

She explained that the Visa Officer (VO) handed her a 221(g) slip, reiterating the social media vetting rule for H-1B visa applications, but also a DS-5535 form.

"They then provided me with 221(g) and asked me to file out DS-5535 with all my social media accounts and make sure they stay public. They didn’t take my passport and my case on CEAC shows 'REFUSED'," she added. However, the Redditor does not specify the colour of her 221(g) slip.

221(g) slips come in white, blue, pink, and yellow—each colour carrying a meaning of its own. While blue, pink, and yellow slips indicate different stages of processing and/or delays, pink slips indicate that the VO is suspicious of the information from the applicant, and would need to verify it in detail.

It is important to note that in a number of cases, the CEAC portal showing 'REFUSED' status does not necessarily indicate a rejection, and could most likely mean that the application was being processed. In fact, in a number of cases, the status changes later (after the verification process).

What is a DS-5535 form?

Officially titled 'Supplemental Questions for Visa Applicants', this form is issued by VOs only in certain cases. It is used for an enhanced security and background check, and does not have a fixed timeline. Here is an example of a DS-5535 form, found on the website of the US Embassy in the Netherlands.

For example, in the comments section of another post, the Redditor above even asks another person about the DS-5535 form. This person had claimed that they had "gone through it back in 2021" for an H-1B visa application.

"It can vary, there is no standard timeline. I waited for about 5 months and then had to file a lawsuit to get it cleared. Some others got it approved within 8 weeks," the person said, in response to a question about how long their visa application took after DS-5535 was filled and sent.