31 March 2018

Christi Jackson, Head of the US immigration team at LDS in London, appeared on BBC World News to discuss a proposed rule in the Federal Register which would require all applicants for immigrant and nonimmigrant visas to the US to provide their social media identifiers.

This request is a clear attempt to push the US administration’s “extreme vetting” platform, but critics say that it is an invasion of privacy and violates free speech.

The proposed rule must go through a 60-day comment period before it is published, and it is possible that changes could be made before its final enactment. Christi advises that, although we do not yet know exactly what type of information could trigger action from the US government, it is sensible to maintain strict privacy settings on all social media accounts to prevent unwanted information from being shared.