In a strong message to Washington, India has called for all US visa applications from Indian nationals to be judged purely on merit, following new American guidelines that require applicants to share their social media details.
Responding to the US Embassy’s updated rules on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal acknowledged that “visa and immigration matters pertain to sovereign functions of any country,” but stressed that India expects a fair assessment of its citizens.
The US has now asked applicants for F, M, or J category non-immigrant visas — covering students and exchange visitors — to set their social media profiles to “public” and disclose usernames for every platform they have used over the past five years on the DS-160 application form.
Jaiswal assured that India is actively working to safeguard its nationals’ interests and is engaging with US authorities on related consular matters.
The US Embassy has defended the measures as necessary to verify identities and determine visa eligibility, warning that failure to comply could result in visa denial and a bar on future applications.
Social media scrutiny for visa applicants has been in place since 2019, but the latest guidelines tighten requirements further as part of an immigration crackdown under US President Donald Trump’s administration.
