'Screening doesn't stop': US Embassy in India warns visas could be revoked EVEN after clearance

The US Embassy in India issued an advisory on Saturday, declaring that visa screening is a continuous process that does not end when an American visa is granted. This echoes a June 19 advisory in which the embassy had said that a US visa was "a privilege, not a right".

The advisory, which is in line with US President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, states that once granted, a visa could still be revoked if its holder did not comply with the law, with deportation as the next step.

“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,” the advisory said.

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The Trump administration's immigration crackdown extends not only to those looking to enter the US, but also immigrants—termed as “aliens” in official communiques—currently residing in the country, who continue to face prosecution from Washington's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) forces.

Just a month ago, various parts of Los Angeles saw anti-ICE protests that escalated after the army and Marines were deployed. Even now, protests of varying capacities continue to take place throughout the country.

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Just a few weeks ago, on June 26, the US had also asked applicants to share the profiles of every platform they had used in the last five years.

"Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 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," an X statement read.

As a follow-up to their social media vetting advisory, the embassy had also urged those applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa to change their social media accounts' privacy settings to public.

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The US State Department had earlier said that consular officers would be on the lookout for posts, messages or affiliations that may suggest anti-American sentiment or ties to banned organisations that could indicate “hostility toward the US”, its government, culture, institutions or founding principles, as per an Associated Press report.

Stating that these decisions are a matter of “national security”, the embassy warned that applicants refusing to comply—or those who kept their profiles private—risked outright refusal of their visa applications.

India