US Visa Applicants Now Required To Submit Details Of Social Media Accounts As Per New State Department Rules

From now on, a vast majority of applicants for a visa to the United States will have to furnish details of their social media accounts, emails and phone numbers held over the previous five years, reports The New Indian Express.

The new rules have been drafted by the US State Department, and will likely have an impact on around an estimated 14.7 million or so individuals per year. However, diplomatic and official visa applicants will not have to undergo the additional scrutiny.

"We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect US citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States," said a statement from the State Department.

The idea is not in itself new, as even earlier some applicants who had travelled to those regions of the world controlled by terror outfits would need to hand over this information.

The massive extension of the requirement to most visa applicants can been seen as going back to the campaign promise of President Donald Trump to ensure ‘extreme vetting’ of immigrants.