US may tie social media to visa applications

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MichaelNZ

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#1994212 11-Apr-2018 11:50

MikeAqua:

It's a weird idea for US immigration to look at people's social media, when it's possible to have multiple profiles on most platforms and not compulsory to have social media at all.

It's not weird at all. Facebook is a government's pipe dream.

I view Mark Zuckerberg's crocodile tears as solely on account of the fact a 3rd party did it this time.

Facebook is incredibly dangerous.

After I had individually deleted my entire FB history, I was still able to download an >500Mb zip file. Digging deeply in their obscenely named "privacy settings" was an eye opener.

Everything Facebook claims to hold dear is just bold faced lies. I have reported several clearly fake profiles and other material which breaches their T&C's and they do... absolutely nothing.

Not a day goes by now when I don't feel vindicated for leaving Facebook. It is an incredibly useful tool to communicate but therein lies the dangers. Back to email, skype and phone for me.

WFH Linux Systems and Networks Engineer in the Internet industry | Specialising in Mikrotik | APNIC member | Open to job offers | ZL2NET

gzt

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#1996268 15-Apr-2018 08:42

What exactly happened with in this case yesterday?

NZHerald: Soper, political editor for Newstalk ZB, was supposed to fly to London via Los Angeles on an Air New Zealand flight leaving Auckland on Friday night to report on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's European trip.

Instead he was blocked from boarding when he arrived at Auckland International Airport.

Soper told the Herald On Sunday he did not realise he needed to apply for travel authorisation online as he would have spent only two hours in transit in Los Angeles.

It looks like the authorisation was delayed slightly but within normal parameters rather than rejected. It's still a disaster for someone who flies at short notice. Also I'm not sure if the word visa is used correctly in that article and if so why one was required instead of waiver. Not a great article from the Herald..

sbiddle

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#1996290 15-Apr-2018 09:34

gzt: What exactly happened with in this case yesterday?

NZHerald: Soper, political editor for Newstalk ZB, was supposed to fly to London via Los Angeles on an Air New Zealand flight leaving Auckland on Friday night to report on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's European trip.

Instead he was blocked from boarding when he arrived at Auckland International Airport.

Soper told the Herald On Sunday he did not realise he needed to apply for travel authorisation online as he would have spent only two hours in transit in Los Angeles.

It looks like the authorisation was delayed slightly but within normal parameters rather than rejected. It's still a disaster for someone who flies at short notice. Also I'm not sure if the word visa is used correctly in that article and if so why one was required instead of waiver. Not a great article from the Herald..

Soper didn't apply for an ESTA before he traveled. When he then did he no doubt would have realised that visiting Iraq except on official government business can exclude you from having an ESTA approved and means you need a visa. This is probably why his ESTA would have been declined.

I also don't understand why he wouldn't have a visa already. These are multiple entry and are needed if you're entering the US as a journalist anyway.

gzt

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#1996291 15-Apr-2018 09:34

My mistake. Something was actually declined:

NZHerald: Yesterday all hope of making the trip was dashed when he was advised his application had been declined.

Soper himself has no idea why. He has some idea that changing policies in the USA + the word Iraq appearing on his passport from a previous press visit may be factors there.

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#1996298 15-Apr-2018 09:44

sbiddle:

Looks to me like he applied for an ETSA before he left Wellington. When he tried to board the flight in Auckland he was told no because the ETSA is still in progress. Missed the flight. Sometime after that, the ETSA was declined.

On the other hand the article quotes Soper saying visa specifically:

NZHerald: "I got to Auckland and that's when the s*** hit the fan. They said the visa was still in process mode.''

That quote implies he had applied for a visa and the visa was eventually declined. Colloquial use of 'visa' maybe. The article does not attempt to untangle it.

sbiddle

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#1996331 15-Apr-2018 09:57

gzt:
sbiddle:

Looks to me like he applied for an ETSA before he left Wellington. When he tried to board the flight in Auckland he was told no because the ETSA is still in progress. Missed the flight. Sometime after that, the ETSA was declined.

On the other hand the article quotes Soper saying visa specifically:

NZHerald: "I got to Auckland and that's when the s*** hit the fan. They said the visa was still in process mode.''

That quote implies he had applied for a visa and the visa was eventually declined. Colloquial use of 'visa' maybe. The article does not attempt to untangle it.

You can't apply for a visa online. You need to visit the consulate in Auckland. Reading that story I see them using the word ESTA and visa interchangeably, which is pretty poor.

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gzt

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#1996345 15-Apr-2018 10:23

Yeah it's looking like the real story is ETSA declined based on rules established in Jan 2016:

DHS January 2016: travelers in the following categories are no longer eligible to travel or be admitted to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP): Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria on or after March 1, 2011 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country).

These individuals will still be able to apply for a visa using the regular immigration process at our embassies or consulates. For those who need a U.S. visa for urgent business, medical, or humanitarian travel to the United States, U.S. embassies and consulates stand ready to process applications on an expedited basis.

The only complicating factor is Soper appears to be implying travel to/via USA on ETSA since then with no issues. Maybe didn't read the fine print.

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