NPZ Immigration Law Blog

On May 31, 2019, the Department of State (DOS) updated its immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms to request additional information, including social media identifiers, from most U.S. visa applicants worldwide.

This update – which was initially announced last year in the Federal Register – is a result of the President’s March 6, 2017, Memorandum on Implementing Heightened Screening and Vetting of Applications for Visas and other Immigration Benefits and Section 5 of Executive Order 13780 regarding implementing uniform screening and vetting standards for visa applications.

National security is the Nation’s top priority when adjudicating visa applications, and every prospective traveler and immigrant to the United States undergoes extensive security screening. The Government is constantly working to find mechanisms to improve screening processes to protect U.S. citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.

The Government already requests certain contact information, travel history, family member information, and previous addresses from all visa applicants. Collecting this additional information from visa applicants will strengthen the process for vetting these applicants and confirming their identity.

For additional details, please see the “About Visas – The Basics” FAQ page on our website