The United States federal government is proposing to collect social media identities from most visa applicants seeking entry into the U.S.
If approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the proposal would require most U.S. visa applicants, immigrants, and non-immigrants, to list all the social media identities they’ve used in the past five years on the federal application form. It would then be used to identify and vet the applicants. This proposal would affect an estimated 14.7 million people annually.
A State Department official said that the social media information collection was previously instituted last May to be used only when it has been determined the “information is required to confirm identity or conduct more rigorous national security vetting” of the applicant. The State Department stated then, that stricter checks would be applied to only those “who have been determined to warrant additional scrutiny in connection with terrorism or other national security-related visa ineligibilities”. President Trump had also promised, “extreme vetting” of foreigners entering the U.S. with an aim of preventing terrorism and this proposal aligns with his promise.
If approved, the federal application form would be broadened to also ask applicants if they have ever been deported or removed from a country, if family members have been involved in terrorist activities and applicants would also have to submit previously used telephone numbers, e-mail IDs and international travel history of the past five years.
The new proposal was published March 30th in the Federal Register and the public has been allotted 60 days to comment on it before it’s approved or rejected by the OMB.
