WASHINGTON – New rules have been applied for the aspirants of the US Visa.
The State Department wants to require all US visa applicants to submittheir social media usernames, previous email addresses and phone numbers,vastly expanding the Trump administration’s enhanced vetting of potentialimmigrants and visitors.
In documents to be published in Friday’s Federal Register, the departmentsaid it wants the public to comment on the proposed new requirements, whichwill affect nearly 15 million foreigners who apply for visas to enter theUS each year. Previously, social media, email and phone number historieswere only sought from applicants identified for extra scrutiny, such asthose who have traveled to areas controlled by terrorist organizations. Anestimated 65,000 people per year are in that category.
The new rules would apply to virtually all applicants for immigrant andnon-immigrant visas. The department estimates it would affect 710,000immigrant visa applicants and 14 million non-immigrant visa applicants,including those who want to come to the US for business or education,according to the documents.
The documents were posted on the Federal Register’s website on Thursday butthe 60-day public comment period won’t begin until Friday’s edition ispublished.
If the requirements are approved by the Office of Management and Budget,applications for all visa types would list a number of social mediaplatforms and require the applicant to provide any account names they mayhave had on them over the previous five years. It would also give theapplicant the option to volunteer information about social media accountson platforms not listed in the application.
In addition to their social media histories, visa applicants will be askedfor five years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses,international travel and deportation status, as well as whether any familymembers have been involved in terrorist activities.
Only applicants for certain diplomatic and official visa types may beexempted from the requirements, the documents said. AGENCIES