So now if you’re planning to apply for a US visa, you will have to share your social media details and it’s finally official. Proposed by the Trump administration, the country requires most of the US visa applicants to submit their social media details for the past five years. It is a part of a strategy to improve the screening of potential immigrants and visitors.
The revised US forms that were first proposed in March 2018 requires most applicants including the tourists to furnish their social media usernames, email addresses as a part of the application process. However, some of the diplomats and officials are likely to be exempted from the requirements.
“National security is our top priority when adjudicating visa applications, and every prospective traveller and immigrant to the United States undergoes extensive security screening,” the US-based news agency Associated Press quoted the US State Department as saying this. “We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect U.S. citizens while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.”
As per the media reports, the revised norms are expected to affect 15 million travellers who apply for visas to enter the United States each year.
Earlier, this enhanced screening information had only been required for applicants who visited terrorist-controlled areas. Nearly 65,000 people per-year had fallen into that category, as per the AP.
These new hurdles to immigration come days after the Trump administration moved the proposal to ban the practice of granting work permits to H-4 visa holders, mostly spouses of H-1B visa holders. On May 22, the US government issued a notice to kick-off public consultations for the proposed rule.
