US asks visa applicants to list social media details, MEA ‘hopes’ for selection on merit

Emphasising that each visa adjudication was impacted national security, the US has asked applicants to share their social media usernames and handles of each platform they have used in the last five years.

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The US Embassy in India shared this information in a brief statement issued on Thursday. It also cautioned the applicants against “omitting” social media information, saying omission could lead to “visa denial and ineligibility for future visas”.

The statement posted on X read, “Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five 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.”

On guidelines regarding the issuance of visas for Indians going to the US, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted that visa and immigration matters pertain to sovereign functions of a country.

“We have seen the guidelines issued by the US Embassy, which mentioned the requirement to submit details of social media identifiers in visa applications. But it is our belief that all visa applications of Indian nationals will be treated on the merit basis,” he added.