To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

People Wanting An America Visa Will Now Have To Give Their Social Media Profiles

People Wanting An America Visa Will Now Have To Give Their Social Media Profiles

So, if you've been slagging off Trump on Facebook, it might be time to delete those posts.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

For most people wanting to travel to or move to America, they have to fill out a visa form that will be pretty lengthy. You get asked a bunch of questions about your stay and whether you're a terrorist or have a criminal history.

But apparently there will be a new step added to this process: your social media.

The Trump Administration has introduced the new step which forces people to hand over their handle from whichever platform they choose and any other handles they might have had over the past five years.

PA

They have a bunch of options to choose from: Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, MySpace, Pintrest etc.

In addition to social media profiles, you also have to give over your phone number, previous email addresses and where you've been in the last five years.

The State Department said in a statement: "National security is our top priority when adjudicating visa applications, and every prospective traveller and immigrant to the United States undergoes extensive security screening.

PA

"We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect US citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States."

The change is expected to affect around 15 million people who flock to the US every year, according to the ABC.

So if you've been slagging off Trump or Mike Pence or anything else mildly critical of the US, it might be time to delete those posts. It's not clear whether you have to give over all your social media handles or just one.

PA

Unsurprisingly, the move has ben criticised by civil liberties groups who say it's an invasion of privacy.

American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project director Hina Shamsi said: "This attempt to collect a massive amount of information on the social media activity of millions of visa applicants is yet another ineffective and deeply problematic Trump administration plan.

"There is a real risk that social media vetting will unfairly target immigrants and travellers from Muslim-majority countries for discriminatory visa denials, without doing anything to protect national security."

The only people who will be exempt from the new rules will be for certain diplomatic visas and official visas.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: America, World News, News