On May 31, 2019, new questions were added to Forms DS-160/DS-156 Nonimmigrant Visa Application and Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa Application. These are the forms used to apply for visas at U.S. Consulates abroad.  The additional questions require the foreign national to disclose five years of social media and contact history when applying for a nonimmigrant or immigrant visa. This information was previously requested only on Form DS-5535, Supplemental Questions for Visa Applicants.

In the newly updated forms, applicants are now required to disclose the social media platforms they have used within the previous five years, as well as provide their username(s) for each platform. This information is collected via a drop-down list of the most common platforms. Applicants are prompted to choose all those that are either currently used or have been used within a five-year period. Passwords for these accounts are not required and should not be provided.

Further questions request the visa applicant's current email and phone number, as well as a list of additional email addresses and phone numbers used in the past five years. If applicants are unable to recall precise details, they may insert "unknown," but should be prepared for the possibility of additional screening during the visa process.