America to Intensify Screening of Online Profiles for Foreign Visa Seekers

The US government is poised to broaden its scrutiny of social media accounts belonging to visa applicants, a group that includes foreign journalists, as a component of President Donald Trump's comprehensive immigration overhaul.

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This development was hinted at by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who shared an article from the Daily Signal on X, a platform, on Thursday, which stated that the State Department intends to widen the scope of its social media vetting process to encompass applicants for a greater variety of visas.

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According to the Daily Signal, it has obtained an internal memo that outlines the proposed plan, which would necessitate visa applicants to adjust the settings on their social media accounts to either "public" or "open" to facilitate the vetting process.

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When questioned by AFP regarding the report, a State Department spokesperson responded by stating that "the department is constantly reviewing and evaluating screening and vetting procedures worldwide to ensure that our visa process upholds the highest standards for US national security and public safety."

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The spokesperson further elaborated that "online presence vetting is about applicants demonstrating their eligibility to receive a visa under US law and ensuring that no individual poses a risk to the safety and security of the United States," thus underscoring the importance of this vetting process.

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The United States already has in place a requirement for applicants of various visa categories, including student visas, to make their social media accounts publicly accessible, and the Daily Signal reports that this requirement will now be extended to include foreign media representatives and certain nationals from Mexico and Canada.

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Since assuming office, President Trump has implemented policies aimed at expelling millions of undocumented migrants and restricting entry into the United States for citizens of several countries, marking a significant shift in the country's immigration landscape.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has emphasized that "a visa is a privilege, not a right," highlighting the discretionary nature of visa issuance.

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The Trump administration recently finalized rules that impose stricter limits on the duration of stay for foreign students and journalists in the United States, with the new regulations set to take effect as early as September.

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Under the new rules, foreigners on student visas will be admitted for the duration of their academic program, capped at a maximum of four years, while foreign journalists will be limited to stays of 240 days, or approximately eight months, with the option to apply for extensions of similar duration.