The United States Embassy in Fiji has announced that applicants for F, M and J non-immigrant visas should make their social media accounts public.
The new guideline seeks to help officials verify the identity and eligibility of applicants under U.S. law. The U.S. Embassy said every visa application review is a “national security decision.”
“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their personal social media accounts to ‘public’ to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States,” the Embassy said in a post on social media.
The new guidelines will affect students, academia and those enrolling in vocational or exchange programs.
They are now mandated to ensure that their social media profiles are set to public before submitting their visa applications.
A refusal to set the accounts to “public” could be grounds for rejection.
Similar directives have been issued by other U.S. embassies across the world.
“The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission,” the Embassy said.
