US embassy issues fresh warning to Indians: 'Visa screening does not stop after...'

Securing a US visa may be just the beginning, but it’s no guarantee of staying in America. In a fresh travel advisory issued on Saturday, the US Embassy in India warned that visa holders remain under scrutiny even after their documents are stamped, and risk losing their visas if they break US laws or immigration rules.

“US visa screening does not stop after a visa is issued,” the Embassy said in a social media post on X. “We continuously check visa holders to ensure they follow all US laws and immigration rules – and we will revoke their visas and deport them if they don’t,” it added.

The advisory comes amid the US government’s ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration under President Donald Trump’s administration. The directive, part of intensified background checks, is mandatory for all applicants filling out the DS-160 visa application form.

Earlier, the US Embassy in India had also tightened checks on digital footprints, requiring visa applicants to reveal all their social media activity from the past five years.

“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,” the embassy said in its post on X.

The embassy warned that failure to provide accurate or complete information could lead to visa rejection and disqualification from future US visa consideration. "Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas," it added.

The move is in line with the Trump administration’s broader strategy to “enhance security and ensure the integrity” of the US visa process.

The embassy had also instructed student visa applicants under the F, M, and J categories to set their social media accounts to public visibility. This, the embassy stated, was required to "facilitate the vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under US law."