SAN DIEGO — On Wednesday, the State Department announced that new student visa applicants will be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review.
This comes after the department paused scheduling of new interviews for student visa applications in late May. While applicants have been waiting for this moment, they can now expect the U.S. government to look at their personal online accounts.
“You’re always dealing with that when it comes to immigration,” said immigration attorney Saman Nasseri. “You’re opening up your public life.”
The State Department resumed scheduling new student visa interviews after expanding their screening process to vet an applicant’s online presence.
“Giving access to the State Department to social media is not necessarily new,” Nasseri continued. He says previous applicants were required to list social media handles, but they were never required to unlock those accounts in the past.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision, every single one of them,” said Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the State Department. The department said it will search for social media posts and messages that could be deemed hostile to the U.S.
“It is important to have, I think, a broad base because that could mean something different to many people,” Bruce stated. “It could mean many things, and it’s going to be up to the people making the decisions.”
But, Nasseri says that a broad approach could deter people from freely expressing their opinions online in fear of having their visa applications rejected.
“You’re kind of opening that door to allowing the government to dictate free speech a little bit, and interpret what is and isn’t hostile to them based on what is going on in the world at any given time,” he explained.
Applicants for F, M and J nonimmigrant visas can begin checking for appointment availability at their relevant embassy or consulate once again, but can expect greater scrutiny.
“I think this is the beginning of bringing back extremely strict vetting when it comes to immigration,” Nasseri added.
FOX 5/KUSI spoke with several students on the San Diego State University campus to get their opinion on the change. While none wanted to speak on camera, they all expressed shock and concern about the new requirement.
Meanwhile, the State Department maintains this is an issue of national security.
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