'Make all social media accounts public': New US rule for non-immigrant visa applicants

All individuals applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa are to adjust the privacy settings on all of their personal social media accounts to 'public'.

The United States of America has announced that all individuals applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa are required to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to 'public'.

The rule aims to identify those who pose a threat to the national security and hence stand inadmissible to the country. (AFP)

Effective immediately, this move is carried out in order to facilitate the vetting process, to establish the applicants' identity and admissibility to the nation under law.

“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision. Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their personal social media accounts to 'public' to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States,” said the US Embassy in India (@USAndIndia) in an X post on Monday.

In the second slide of the same post, the US embassy said that the country has been requiring all visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and non-immigrant visa application forms.

The post further added that the embassy uses the available information in its visa screening and vetting procedures to identify those who pose a threat to the national security and hence stand inadmissible to the country.

What is the newly imposed travel ban?

A new travel ban has been imposed by the US government which restricts citizens entirely across 12 nations and partially from seven nations from accessing visas to the States.

Aimed for beefing up national security, the policy is targeted towards nations that are deemed high-risk for security loopholes and terrorism concerns, reportedly in the Middle East and Africa, citizens from which now face a complete ban on non-immigrant visas, including those for tourism, education, and employment.

The seven other countries face partial restrictions, involving tighter screening or limited visa categories.

Are Indians going to be affected by the travel ban?

In the backdrop of the prevailing war-like situations in the Middle East, US has specified that India does not belong to the list of countries that face the travel ban, adding that the country is processing applications submitted by Indian nationals across all categories, including B1/B2 tourist visas, H1B work permits, and F1 student visas.

A delay continues to be in effect for Indian visa applicants, reportedly due to excess demand and administrative backlog. Indian US consulates are urged to book interview slots up to about an year in advance, to keep disruptions related to education, employment, and travel plans at bay.