US now requires social media details from visa applicants

In a latest development regarding visa policy, the United States will now require details of social media from all social media applicants, according to the US State Department.

US regulations state that visa applicants will now have to provide social media names and email addresses and phone numbers in use since five years.

The new policy will provide exemption to certain official and diplomatic visa applicants but people travelling to the US for work and study will have to give their information.

Applicants might need to list details of accounts on additional sites not mentioned in the form, and lying can lead to ‘serious immigration consequences’, The Hill quoted an official as saying.

The policy was put forth last year under the Trump administration and it was estimated that it will be imposed 14.7 million people yearly.

US President Donald Trump had vigorously campaigned on immigration issues and adopting a stricter policy in his 2016 election campaign.

Earlier, this measure only applied to those applicants who had been to places having security issues and terrorist threats.