The government has said it believes all US visa applications by Indian nationals should be treated on the basis of merit. The Ministry of External Affairs made the remarks on Thursday in response to US Embassy releasing guidelines requiring visa applicants to provide details of their social media identifiers.
While the government noted that immigration matters pertain to the sovereign functions of a country, it also urged that the visa applications of Indians be judged on the basis of merit.
"Visa and immigration matters pertain to sovereign functions of any country. But, we have seen the guidelines issued by the US Embassy, providing details of social media identifiers in visa applications," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
The MEA spokesperson also assured that India was trying to safeguard interests of its nationals and was in touch with the US on consular issues.
What's the new US visa rule?
Those applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa in the US are now required to switch the settings of their social media handles to "public" so they could be screened. The F or M category is for student visas and J category for exchange visitor visa.
Applicants are also mandated to list all social media usernames of every platform they have used from the last five years on the DS-160 visa application form.
{{/usCountry}}Applicants are also mandated to list all social media usernames of every platform they have used from the last five years on the DS-160 visa application form.
{{/usCountry}}According to the US embassy, social media vetting is necessary to establish the applicants' identity and admissibility to the US under law.
If applicants fail to provide the social media information, it could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.
Visa applicants have been asked to provide "social media identifiers" on immigrant and non-immigrant visa application forms since 2019, the embassy clarified.
The new guidelines come in the wake of US President Donald Trump's intensified immigration crackdown. Immigration laws have been tightened in the US, and those entering the country illegally would face jail time and deportation.
The intensified immigration move recently led to protests in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
(With PTI inputs)