So, it's actually happening.
All US aspirants applying for F, M, or J nonimmigrant visas must make their social media accounts public.
Hold on, before you start combing through your social media and deleting anything and everything, let's understand the situation and consult with an expert in this episode of Straight Up by EdexLive with me, Seema Rajpal.
The United States has mandated that visa applicants provide social media identifiers on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa forms. This latest directive builds on that policy, leveraging available data to screen for potential security threats amid global security concerns.
Let's understand the visas first:
- F Visa is issued to academic students pursuing courses at accredited US institutions, such as universities or language programmes.
- M Visa is granted to vocational or non-academic students enrolled in technical or trade schools.
- J Visa is designed for exchange visitors, including scholars, researchers, and participants in cultural or training programmes.
Now, let's turn to Manisha Zaveri, Joint Director at Career Mosaic, an education consultant.