US Dept of State Proposes Collection of Social Media Info on Visa Applications

US Dept of State Proposes Collection of Social Media Info on Visa Applications

On March 30, 2018, the US Department of State published requests for comments on the Federal Register to collect more information on immigrant and non-immigrant visa applications in the form of “one question which lists multiple social media platforms and requires the applicant to provide any identifiers used by applicants for those platforms during the five years preceding the date of application.” In addition, the proposed questions will also ask for applicants “five years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses, and international travel.”

If these new information requirements are approved, it is one more change that is making it clear that the Trump administration is actively limiting legal immigration through a concerted effort to slow down the process to apply for legal immigration. See the Migration Policy article which discusses the statistics on how the processes for legal immigrant and non-immigrant visa applications are being delayed effectively creating a virtual wall around the US. The slow down in all categories for US visas has been seen in my own practice adding more and more work for cases that would normally be routine.