Monrovia, Liberia – All Liberian visa applicants have been requested by the U.S. embassy in Monrovia to switch their social media settings from private to “public” in order to ease the screening process required to prove their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law.
In order to strengthen “screening and vetting for visa applicants,” the Trump administration unveiled a comprehensive new policy last week that includes the provision.
The action, according to the embassy, was applicable to “any individual applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa.” Students with F visas are academics. J visas are for cultural exchanges, I visas are for international media, and M visas are for vocational students. The goal, according to the Trump administration, is to keep hostile foreign actors out of the nation.
The embassyrecently spoke of the policy on Tuesday, July 24, despite the Trump administration announcing it last week. In an additional statement released Wednesday afternoon, the embassy stated that on the DS-160 visa application form, candidates must include the usernames or handles of every social media accounts they have used within the last five years.
The embassy stated that before signing and submitting such an application, applicants must “certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct. Omitting any social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,” the warning further stated.
Liberians are concerned about the decree of new update. Despite the fact that Liberians use social media, Facebook is the most widely used and well-liked by them.
