*UPDATE* In early May, 2017, the U.S. Department of State created a new form (DS-5535), as part of the President’s “extreme vetting” directive, that is now in use to collect additional information not already captured on the basic DS-160 Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application form. Only certain applicants for U.S. visas who have been chosen for additional security screening will be asked to complete this new form. While only three pages, as mentioned below, it requests 15 years’ worth of history for travel, addresses and work history, all telephone numbers used in the last 5 years, and “your unique user name for any websites or applications you have used to create or share content (photos, videos, status updates, etc.) as part of a public profile within the last five years.” The Department of State says that responses to the new form are completely voluntary, but applicants who to not respond when requested to do so may have their visa applications delayed or denied. The new form is available here: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/DownloadDocument?objectID=73566700.

 

In March 2017, the U.S. Department of State ordered U.S. Consulates and Embassies around the world to increase screening and restrict the number of visa appointments available each day. According to new guidelines (which were issued to comply with a new Executive Order requiring additional vetting of all applicants for immigration benefits), Visa Officers will conduct more stringent interviews of visa applicants, and will also have more discretion to request additional security checks beyond the usual ones that all visa applicants undergo. This more intensive screening could include reviews of social media accounts, telephone numbers and email addresses used within the last 5 years. All visa applicants should now expect to be thoroughly questioned about all information contained in their visa applications, in addition to providing more extensive information related to their travel (including the source of funding for travel), work and residence history over the last 15 years, among other things. These new processes, along with a decrease in the number of interviews offered each day, are likely to cause longer wait times to receive an interview appointment, as well as to receive back passports (with the new visa stamped inside) after the interview.