Bengaluru: Students who wish to study in the United States under the F, M, or J non-immigrant visa categories will now be required to set their social media accounts to ‘public’ as part of the visa application process.

JUST OVER A dozen people were queuing for visa applications when the US Embassy opened at 9am this morning.It was a mixed group – a family of three, several middle-aged workers and a handful of students awaiting interviews for J1 visas.

While visa applicants have been required to disclose their social media identifiers since 2019, this updated rule now goes a step further by demanding unrestricted access to those accounts. The US government has emphasized that this step is intended to safeguard national security and maintain the integrity of the visa process.