The Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that the US should treat the applications of Indian students on the basis of merit after the US embassy issued guidelines requiring details of social media accounts of applicants.
The Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that the US should treat the applications of Indian students on the basis of merit after the US embassy issued guidelines requiring details of social media accounts of applicants.
“Visa and immigration matters pertain to the sovereign functions of any country. But we have seen the guidelines issued by the US embassy, requiring the provision of social media identifiers in visa applications,” Mr Jaiswal said.
He added that, “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 and consular issues to ensure that the legitimate interests of Indian nationals are safeguarded.”
The US Embassy in India, in a social post had asked Indian students to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used in the last five years on their application form.
“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used in the last five 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,”
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