Iraq News Now

The US State Department is now requiring nearly all

applicants for US visas to submit their social media usernames, previous email

addresses and phone numbers. It’s a vast expansion of the Trump

administration’s enhanced screening of potential immigrants and visitors.

In a move that’s just taken effect after approval of the revised

application forms, the department says it has updated its immigrant and

nonimmigrant visa forms to request the additional information, including

“social media identifiers,” from almost all US applicants.

The change, which was proposed in March 2018, is expected to

affect about 15 million foreigners who apply for visas to enter the United

States each year.

“National security is our top priority when adjudicating

visa applications, and every prospective traveler and immigrant to the United

States undergoes extensive security screening,” the department said. “We are

constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to

protect US citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.”

Social media, email and phone number histories had only been

sought in the past from applicants who were identified for extra scrutiny, such

as people who’d traveled to areas controlled by terrorist organizations. An

estimated 65,000 applicants per year had fallen into that category.

The department says collecting the additional information

from more applicants “will strengthen our process for vetting these applicants

and confirming their identity.”

The new rules apply to virtually all applicants for

immigrant and nonimmigrant visas. When it filed its initial notice to make the

change, the department estimated it would affect 710,000 immigrant visa

applicants and 14 million nonimmigrant visa applicants, including those who

want to come to the US for business or education.

The new visa application forms list a number of social media

platforms and require the applicant to provide any account names they may have

had on them over the previous five years. They also give applicants the option

to volunteer information about social media accounts on platforms not listed on

the form.

In addition to their social media histories, visa applicants

are now asked for five years of previously used telephone numbers, email

addresses, international travel and deportation status, as well as whether any

family members have been involved in terrorist activities.

Only applicants for certain diplomatic and official visa

types are exempted from the requirements.