Overview

• The State Department ordered consulates to restart F, M and J visa processing under new rules requiring applicants to set all social media accounts to public.
• All nonimmigrant visa candidates must list every social media username or handle used over the past five years on the DS-160 application.
• The U.S. Embassy in India warns that omitting or falsifying social media details can trigger visa denial and bar future applications.
• Critics, including First Amendment advocates, warn the requirements risk viewpoint discrimination and could deter international scholars.
• India’s Ministry of External Affairs urged that visa decisions be made on merit and said it is engaging with U.S. officials to protect its nationals.