Citing an internal State Department document, The Daily Signal reported that the department intends to use all available sources of information when reviewing and vetting visa applications, particularly to identify individuals who may be denied entry to the United States.
The memo states that the department relies on all available sources of information when reviewing and verifying visa applications to identify applicants who may be barred from entering the United States, including those considered a threat to national security or public safety.
“We apply this rigorous vetting standard consistently to all visa applicants,” the memo said, adding that “every visa decision is fundamentally a national security decision.”
Until now, the enhanced social media screening program has applied to several categories of visa applicants, particularly foreign students and participants in cultural exchange programs, who are required to make their social media accounts publicly accessible so U.S. authorities can review them.
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According to the document cited by The Daily Signal, the measure will now be expanded to cover foreign journalists, as well as certain citizens of Mexico and Canada.
The State Department stressed that “obtaining a U.S. visa remains a privilege granted at the government’s discretion, not an entitlement.”
The expanded social media screening comes as the United States continues to tighten its immigration policy, introducing new measures in recent months targeting both irregular immigration and the conditions governing the entry of foreign nationals into the country.
