US tightens visa rules from October 1: What Indian media professionals need to know | Today’s news
The United States has introduced a new visa screening measure, effective October 1, that requires Indian media professionals to keep their social media profiles public or open as part of the visa screening process. The State Department said applicants must set the privacy settings on their social media profiles to “public” or “open”.
The process will apply to individuals applying for I, TN, and TD visas under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), as well as their dependents.
The latest announcement, issued on September 18, expands the scope of online presence checks that are already part of the visa screening process for several categories of applicants, including students, temporary workers, exchange visitors and religious workers.
The department said visa applications are reviewed using “all available sources of information” to determine whether an applicant may be inadmissible to the US. This includes vetting individuals considered a potential risk to national security or public safety.
“Each visa decision is fundamentally a national security decision,” the ministry said.
He also emphasized that applicants must demonstrate that they meet the conditions for the visa they are applying for and demonstrate a genuine intention to comply with the conditions associated with their admission to the US.
“Obtaining a US visa remains a privilege granted at the discretion of the government, not an entitlement,” the department said.
Who will it affect?
Enhanced online presence checks will come into force on 1 October and will apply to applicants in three additional visa categories:
me all — issued to representatives of foreign media
TN all — for eligible professionals from Canada and Mexico entering temporary employment in the US under the USMCA
TD visa — available to spouses and children of TN visa holders
People applying for these categories will have to make their social media accounts public or open for review.
The new categories join several visa groups that are already subject to online presence checks. These include F-1 and M-1 students; H-1B, H-3, and certain H-4 temporary workers and dependents; J-1 and J-2 exchange visitors; K-1, K-2, and K-3 fiancee and dependent visas; Q cultural exchange participants; R religious workers; and applicants for S, T and U visas. Some diplomatic and official visa categories are also covered.
The US is expanding visa controls
The move to expand checks on social media comes as the US makes wider changes to its immigration and visa procedures.
A State Department spokesman told Reuters the visa appointment had been adjusted to allow time for the required training.
“Whenever there are updated instructions for visa applicants or changes to the visa interview appointment, embassies and consulates will communicate this information directly to visa applicants,” a spokesperson told Reuters.
The wider pause is notable given the volume of immigrant visa interviews conducted each year by US embassies and consulates around the world. Many of these interviews involve family members of US citizens or permanent residents.
According to a Reuters report, the US will issue approximately 600,000 immigrant visas in 2024.
