The US Embassy in the Philippines announced that more categories of visa applicants will now be required to disclose their social media accounts when applying for a visa.
Previously, this rule applied to students, exchange visitors (F, M, J visas), and specialty occupation visa holders (H-1B and H-4 dependents).
Under the updated policy, it now also covers fiancé(e) visa applicants (K-1, K-2, K-3), certain personal employees or domestic workers (A-3, C-3, G-5), trainees or special education exchange visitors (H-3 and H-4 dependents), cultural and religious visitors (Q, R-1, R-2), and informants, witnesses, or crime victims (S, T, U visas).
The embassy reiterated that visa applicants are required to provide details of all social media usernames, handles, or identifiers used in the last five years.
“Visa applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before signing and submitting. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,” it said in its April 1 statement.
Meanwhile, citizens of 42 countries under the US Visa Waiver Program—including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea—can still enter the US for up to 90 days without a visa.
However, they must file an online application through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for eligibility and security screening.