US Embassy Tells Maldivian Study, Vocational, and Exchange Visa Applicants: Make Social Media Profiles Public

The U.S. Embassy in Colombo, which also serves the Maldives, announced immediate new screening for F (academic), M (vocational), and J (exchange) visa applicants: social media profiles must be set to public and all accounts used in the past five years disclosed. Non-compliance can lead to denial and future ineligibility. This follows a temporary halt on student visa interviews in late May and a June 18 State Department directive requiring expanded vetting before resuming scheduling. Consular officers will scrutinize posts for terrorism support, hostility, antisemitism, etc. Officials prioritize certain categories but warn of longer processing times.

The U.S. Embassy in Colombo, which also serves the Maldives, announced immediate new screening for F (academic), M (vocational), and J (exchange) visa applicants: social media profiles must be set to public and all accounts used in the past five years disclosed. Non-compliance can lead to denial and future ineligibility. This follows a temporary halt on student visa interviews in late May and a June 18 State Department directive requiring expanded vetting before resuming scheduling. Consular officers will scrutinize posts for terrorism support, hostility, antisemitism, etc. Officials prioritize certain categories but warn of longer processing times.

The U.S. Embassy in Colombo, which also serves the Maldives, announced immediate new screening for F (academic), M (vocational), and J (exchange) visa applicants: social media profiles must be set to public and all accounts used in the past five years disclosed. Non-compliance can lead to denial and future ineligibility. This follows a temporary halt on student visa interviews in late May and a June 18 State Department directive requiring expanded vetting before resuming scheduling. Consular officers will scrutinize posts for terrorism support, hostility, antisemitism, etc. Officials prioritize certain categories but warn of longer processing times.

This story involves 1 source and may affect public understanding of social media / visa.