Share social media handles from past 5 years for visa, US embassy says

The US embassy in India has announced stricter rules for visa applicants, requiring them to share their social media usernames used over the past five years.

The move is a part of the Donald Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to improve visa screening and national security.

“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 years on the DS-160 visa application form. Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit,” the embassy said in a statement issued on Thursday. “Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.”

The embassy has also asked all F, M, and J category non-immigrant visa applicants to make their social media accounts public, in a bid to help officials verify the identity and admissibility of applicants.

“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to facilitate the vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under US law (sic),” the embassy posted on X.

The F visa is for academic students, M for vocational students, and J for exchange visitors. The US has enforced this social media rule since 2019, but it is now pushing for more strict checks amid a wider immigration crackdown under the Trump administration.

“Every US visa adjudication is a national security decision,” read one of the embassy’s digital posters shared with the statement. “We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting,” it added.

The recent changes come after US officials raised concerns about what they called “loose vetting” during the previous administration. They now plan to examine online activity for signs of hostility toward US citizens, values, institutions, or laws.

The move is also linked to an increase in immigration enforcement in the US. On 24 June, the embassy warned that those who break immigration laws could face detention, deportation, and permanent ineligibility for future visas.

Earlier this month, the embassy said that holding a US visa is “a privilege, not a right” and that breaking US laws or using illegal drugs while on a visa could lead to revocation and bans on future travel. “The United States will not tolerate those who facilitate illegal and mass immigration to the US,” it said on 16 June.

US authorities will now review content from platforms such as Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok as part of background checks. Officials said this is to make sure people coming to the country do not pose a threat to its security.

The embassy noted that visa decisions involve careful screening and that any violation of the rules may result in serious consequences.