STUDENTS hoping to travel to the States this summer on a J1 visa will have their social media and online presence “thoroughly vetted” under new changes announced by the American Embassy in Ireland.
Thousands of Irish college students travel to the States every summer to work as part of the famous J1 visa programme.
Three key groups will be affected[/caption]
The Trump administration previously paused visa applications[/caption]
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump froze all student visa applications which left Irish students in the application process stuck in limbo.
The U.S Embassy in Ireland issued a statement to announce that they will be restarting the student visa programme but with new social media checks.
Anyone who wants to apply for an F, M or J student visa to go to the States will have to declare all their social media accounts and switch them to public mode.
Social media pages will then be vetted by US officials.
The Embassy claims that the checks are to ensure people coming into the US “do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests.”
The statement said: “The U.S. Department of State is committed to protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process.
“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.
“We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security.
“Under new guidance, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications.
“To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public.”
“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.
“Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.
“The U.S. Embassy in Dublin will resume scheduling F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa applications soon.
“Applicants should check our visa scheduling service for appointment availability.
“The link is https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ie/niv
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.
VISA ELIGIBILITY
“The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”
News website Politico recently reported on an internal cable sent to embassies about these social media searches.
The cable instructs officials to search for any “advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to US national security” and “support for unlawful antiemetic harassment or violence.”
And there is currently a ban on visas for people from 12 countries
Applicants will now have to disclose social media information[/caption]
