New US visa questions ask for social media handles

Tuesday, 6 June 2017 00:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Travellers hoping to visit the US soon will be asked to fill out a new questionnaire for the US Visa that asks for social media handles for the last five years and biographical information going back 15 years, said a report.

The new questions come as part of an effort to tighten vetting of would-be visitors to the United States, said a report in Reuters.

Under the new procedures, which was approved on 23 May by the Office of Management and Budget, consular officials can request all prior passport numbers, five years’ worth of social media handles, email addresses and phone numbers and 15 years of biographical information including addresses, employment and travel history.

While the new questions are voluntary, the form says failure to provide the information may delay or prevent the processing of an individual visa application.

Immigration lawyers and advocates say the request for 15 years of detailed biographical information, as well as the expectation that applicants remember all their social media handles, is likely to catch applicants who make innocent mistakes or do not remember all the information requested.

The Office of Management and Budget has granted emergency approval for the new questions for six months, rather than the usual three years.