The Ministry of External Affairs said that the United States should treat visa applications of Indian citizens on the basis of merit. The MEA’s remarks came after the US asked visa applicants to share their social media usernames or handles of each platform they have used in the last five years.
“Visa, and immigration matters pertain to sovereign functions of any country. But, we have seen the guidelines issued by the US Embassy, providing details of social media identifiers in visa applications,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday.
“But it is our belief that all visa applications of Indian nationals should be treated on the basis of merit. We remain engaged with the US side on all mobility issues and consular issues to ensure that the legitimate interests of Indian nationals are safeguarded…” he added.
Earlier on Thursday, the US Embassy in India cautioned applicants against “omitting” social media information as it could lead to “visa denial and ineligibility for future visas”.
The statement which was posted on X read, “Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 years on the DS-160 visa application form. Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit.”
“Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,” it added.
Earlier on June 23, the US Embassy asked those applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa to switch the privacy settings of their social media accounts to “public” to facilitate vetting, which it said was necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the US under law. F or M category is for student visas and J category for exchange visitor visa.
