WASHINGTON: The U.S. Department of State has expanded online and social media screening for visa applicants to include foreign journalists and media representatives applying for I visas, as well as applicants for TN and TD visas.
According to the State Department, the expanded screening took effect on October 1.
Applicants for I, TN and TD visas have been instructed to ensure that their social media accounts are set to “public” or “open” so that consular officials can review their online presence as part of the visa application process.
Social media screening was already applicable to applicants in several other visa categories, including F and M student visas, certain temporary employment visas such as H-1B, J exchange visas, K fiancé(e) visas and some other categories.
The State Department said every visa application is reviewed from a national security perspective and that available information is used to determine whether an applicant is eligible for a visa under U.S. law.
The expansion is particularly significant for foreign journalists, as media professionals travelling to the United States for journalistic activities generally use the I visa category.
The new policy means that journalists seeking to travel to the United States should be prepared for greater scrutiny of their publicly available online and social media activity during the visa application process.
Reported by: Mirza Maqbool I Sports Reporter
