Taoiseach criticises ‘excessive’ measures faced by students seeking US visas

By Cillian Sherlock and Cate McCurry, PA

The Irish premier has described a decision to subject students applying for J1 visas to a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” of their social media as “excessive”.

Micheal Martin said he does not agree nor approve of the measures announced by the US embassy on Monday.

Ireland’s national students’ union said the new measures represent a significant and disproportionate intrusion into personal lives and digital privacy, and that they raise serious concerns about freedom of expression and online surveillance.

The changes also apply for other exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J non-immigrant classifications.

 

All applicants are asked to list all their social media profiles, and make their accounts publicly accessible.

Failure to do so could lead to a visa being rejected.

Referring to the US, Mr Martin told reporters in Dublin that there is an issue “around freedom of speech”.

“I believe those measures by the United States are excessive,” he said.

“I don’t approve of them. I don’t agree with them. One of the great things in the world, in the modern world, has been the capacity for young people to travel and mobility is important.

“The US is probably one of the more difficult countries to to get into, at times. There is an issue around freedom of speech, but it’s more the atmosphere that’s created by these measures, the fear and the anxiety that young people will now experience travelling.

“My understanding is applications are down in terms of J1 (visas). We have witnessed a pause on the processing of J1 most recently.

“There’s been a longstanding, obviously, relationship with America in terms of young people travelling and American young people travelling to Ireland.

 

“In the context of the European Union, we would love to have young citizens from the United Kingdom travelling freely across Europe. That’s the Irish position, and vice versa.

“I understand the security, but I think good intelligence and good security can stymie anyone who would be out to attack a country or attack America. I understand that. I get that, but I think it is excessive in respect of the measures announced today.”

The US embassy said that it will use all available information in its visa screening to identify those who “are inadmissible” to the US, including those who pose a threat to national security.

In a statement on Monday, it said that a US visa “is a privilege, not a right”.

It said that it protects the US by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety, adding: “Under new guidance, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J non-immigrant classifications.

“To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public’.

“Visa applicants are required to list all social media user names or handles of every platform they have used from 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.

“Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.”

 

The US embassy in Dublin will resume scheduling F, M, and J non-immigrant visa applications “soon”.

It added: “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.

“The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”

Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn (AMLE), formerly known as the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), expressed concern over the changes.

AMLE deputy president Bryan O’Mahony said: “Students should not be subjected to invasive scrutiny simply for seeking educational and cultural opportunities abroad.

“These changes create a climate of fear and self-censorship, and risk unfairly penalising students from marginalised or politically active communities.”

The union called on the Irish Government to advocate for the “rights and dignity” of students seeking to study, work or travel on a J1 visa.

The AMLE advised students applying for a J1 visa or any US student visa this summer to “remain informed, stay safe and carefully review what they are sharing publicly online”.