US embassy wants 'every social media username of past five years' on new visa applications
THE US EMBASSY in Dublin is tightening its visa requirements, saying that future applicants looking to visit the country will be required to divulge 'list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years' on their visa application form.
The embassy also said that it wants people to set their social media profiles to public,
reiterating a move announced last week by the US State Department
.
Visa applicants will also be required to 'list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years' on their visa application form, according to the statement released by the embassy this morning.
Social media handles or usernames are not necessarily the person's real name as they may instead us an alias for their online profile.
In the statement, the US Embassy said that a visa 'is a privilege, not a right' for travellers and that every visa decision was a 'national security decision'.
The embassy said it will resume scheduling F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa applications soon.
'The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission,' the embassy said in its statement today.
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Omitting social media information could lead to 'visa denial and ineligibility' for future visas, the embassy added.
'The US Department of State is committed to protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process,' the embassy said in a statement.
'We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to US national security.
'Under new guidance, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications.
'To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public.'
There had been confusion over the status of J1 applications as Donald Trump's administration spread its new agenda.
Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said last month that while it was aware of reports that the US has instructed its diplomatic missions to pause appointments for interviews in certain visa categories, including J1 student visas, it understood that existing appointments in Ireland hadn't been cancelled.
Last month,
Taoiseach Micheál Martin criticised the moves
by the US and said there should not be 'any overzealous examinations of people's records' by officials.
In an executive order on his first day as president, Donald Trump called for increased vetting of persons entering the United States to ensure they 'do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.'
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