India Urges Fair Visa Evaluation After US Tightens Social Media Disclosure Rules.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has urged the United States to ensure that visa applications from Indian nationals are evaluated on merit, following the release of new social media-related guidelines by the US Embassy.
In a statement on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal acknowledged that immigration decisions fall under the sovereign rights of any country but emphasized that Indian applicants should be assessed fairly.
“Visa and immigration matters pertain to sovereign functions of any country. However, we have noted the new guidelines requiring disclosure of social media identifiers in visa applications,” Jaiswal said.
He added that India is actively engaged with the US on consular and visa-related issues and remains committed to safeguarding the interests of Indian citizens abroad.
New Visa Guidelines by the US
Under the revised regulations, individuals applying for F, M, or J category non-immigrant visas—which include student and exchange visitor visas—must now set their social media profiles to public and list all social media handles used in the past five years on their DS-160 application form.
The US Embassy stated that the move aims to strengthen identity verification and national security checks. Failure to provide accurate or complete information could lead to visa denial and possible ineligibility for future applications.
The embassy clarified that asking for social media identifiers has been part of the process since 2019, but recent updates reflect a stricter enforcement stance, originally introduced during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The directive has drawn criticism from civil rights groups and sparked protests in parts of the US, including Los Angeles, over concerns of privacy and profiling.
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