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2nd June 2019
11:49am BST
Nearly all applicants for United States visas will have to submit their social media details, under newly adopted rules.
The US State Department will now require nearly all applicants for US visas to submit their social media usernames, as well as all of their previous email addresses and phone numbers. According to Time Magazine, the change was proposed in March of 2018, and is expected to affect roughly 15 million immigrants who will apply for visas to enter the country every 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 U.S. citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States."
Certain diplomatic and official visa applicants will be exempt from the new measures, but everyone looking to travel to the US for work or study will have to hand over their info.
The department also said that collecting this additional information from more applicants "will strengthen our process for vetting these applicants and confirming their identity."
This is being seen as a a vast expansion of the Trump administration's stricter screening of potential immigrants and visitors.Explore more on these topics:
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