New rule of US visa will require five years of social media info. It seems that US government want to implement some new rules on all visa applicants. According to CNN, recently the State Department issue a notice that it require all US, both immigrant and non immigrant to disclose their social media handles to the US government for getting the visa.
Today, the department is going to file the documents to the Federal Register. The documents state that the process of applying for a US visa will require handing over any social media handles used on certain platforms in the past five years. Applicants also need to submit any telephone numbers and email addresses used during that same time period.
On the other hand, this process is nearly for every individual. In the past, this information was requested from just those visa applicants who required more vigilant inspection such as those who had traveled to highly terrorist regions.
However, once the new law gets pass, these regulation changes will necessitate almost every applicants to present this information, with the only possible exceptions being those applying for political and official visas.
Though, even they may have to give their social media info, as the State Department’s documents simply say “most” won’t be “routinely” asked for it.
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It is importation to mention here that last year; the Department of Homeland Security established a new rule that permits social media information to be included in immigrants’ official records.
However, this new step by US government in order to incorporate social media handles and searches into visa application protocols leads the Trump administration.
Moreover, the State Department’s proposed changes also consist of questions about immigrants’ travel, like whether they’ve been deported or removed from any country and if any of their relatives have been linked with terrorist activities.
However, the applicants will also have the choice to reveal social media handles used on platforms not listed on the questionnaire. It is said that approximately 15 million visa applicants stand to be influenced by the new rule.
On the other side, the public will have 60 days to comment on it after the planned rule change is filed to the Federal Register.
