NAIROBI, Kenya — The United States Embassy in Kenya has announced a significant new requirement for all visa applicants: Kenyans and other foreign nationals must now provide a comprehensive list of all social media handles used over the past five years.
This directive, applicable to the DS-160 visa application form, impacts both regular and student visa hopefuls, forming part of enhanced vetting procedures aimed at bolstering security and transparency.
According to a statement issued by the US Embassy, “Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit.”
The Embassy further cautioned that the omission of this information carries serious consequences. “Omitting social media information on your application could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future US visas,” the statement warned unequivocally.
This new measure is integral to broader, interagency efforts by the US government to combat fraud and curb illegal immigration. Just days prior, the embassy had underscored Washington’s renewed commitment to prosecuting individuals involved in visa scams and those facilitating illegal entry into the United States.
“We will pursue criminal charges against those who engage in visa fraud and those who bring in and harbour illegal aliens,” read an earlier statement, which concluded with the firm declaration that “a nation without borders is not a nation.”
While social media screening for visa applicants has been a component of the vetting process since 2019, these recent changes signify a notable increase in scrutiny.
Many observers perceive this policy as a continuation of the Trump-era immigration strategy, which introduced aggressive enforcement measures, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and more extensive online monitoring of visa applicants.
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The Embassy confirmed that applicants are now subject to a review of their online activity, encompassing comments, shared content, reactions, tags, and account interactions, across all platforms they may have utilized within the past five years.
This development has heightened concerns among rights groups and privacy advocates, who argue that such stringent measures could potentially lead to applicants being judged based on personal beliefs or political opinions.
However, US officials maintain that the policy constitutes a necessary step to strengthen immigration controls and safeguard national security.
