US Adds Journalists, Professionals To Social Media Visa Screening
WASHINGTON, DC-The United States has expanded social media screening of visa applicants to foreign journalists and certain professionals, requiring them to make their social media profiles public as part of enhanced vetting that already covers H-1B workers and international students.
The new requirement took effect on October 1 and applies to applicants for I visas issued to foreign media representatives, as well as TN visas for eligible Canadian and Mexican professionals and TD visas for their dependents.
“To support this vetting process, all applicants for I, TD, and TN nonimmigrant visas are instructed to set the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public’ or ‘open,’” the State Department said.
The change is particularly significant for foreign journalists travelling to the US for professional assignments, as applicants for I visas are now explicitly subject to the expanded online presence review.
The measure also adds to a broader screening regime affecting several visa categories widely used by Indians travelling to, studying or working in the United States.
The State Department said online vetting already applies to H-1B temporary workers and H-4 dependents, as well as H-3 trainees.
It also covers F-1 and M-1 students and their F-2 and M-2 dependents, J-1 and J-2 exchange visitors, and several other non-immigrant categories.
Other visa classifications already covered include certain diplomatic and official visas, visas for religious workers, international cultural exchange participants and fiancé visas.
The State Department said it uses information available to it when screening applicants to determine whether they are eligible to enter the country.
“The Department relies on every available source of information during visa screening and vetting to identify applicants who may be inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to national security or public safety,” it said.
The department did not specify how applicants’ social media activity would be evaluated or what individual posts or online activity could affect a visa decision.
The State Department described visa adjudication as a national security decision and said applicants must demonstrate their eligibility for the category for which they are applying.
“Every visa adjudication is fundamentally a national security decision,” it said.
“The United States remains vigilant throughout the visa issuance process to confirm that applicants do not intend to cause harm to Americans or threaten US interests, and that each applicant can credibly demonstrate eligibility for the visa requested—including a genuine intent to abide by the terms of admission.”
The department added that receiving a US visa is “a privilege granted at the government’s discretion, not an entitlement.”
The expansion comes as US authorities increasingly incorporate applicants’ online presence into immigration and visa screening, extending the review to foreign media representatives and certain Canadian and Mexican professionals. (IANS)
