Malaysians applying for student or exchange programme visas to the US are now required to make their social media accounts public as part of the updated vetting procedure.
The US embassy in Kuala Lumpur said the requirement, which takes immediate effect, applies to all applicants for the F, M and J non-immigrant visas.
It said applicants should change their privacy settings to allow public viewing of their personal social media profiles to help US authorities verify identities and assess eligibility.
“We use available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the US, including those who pose a threat to US national security,” the embassy said in a statement.
The F visa is for academic students, M for vocational or technical training, and J for participants in approved exchange programmes.
The embassy said that since 2019, the US has required visa applicants to provide “social media identifiers” on immigrant and non-immigrant visa application forms.
The US state department announced on June 18 that it would resume scheduling appointments for international student visas after halting the process in late May.
