May 10, 2017
EXTREME VETTING QUESTIONS FOR U.S. VISAS
Zemp Law Group has received information that the Department of State (DHS) is looking to implement a new Form DS-5535, Supplemental Questions for Visa Applicants. The DHS seeks to collect information from certain non-immigrant visa applicants who have been determined to warrant additional scrutiny in connection with terrorism or other national security-related visa ineligibilities.
If granted, the emergency approval would only be valid for 180 days and would take effect May 18, 2017.
DHS seeks to collect additional information from some visa applications in order to more rigorously evaluate applicants for terrorism or other national security-related visa ineligibilities. If not already included in the application, DHS will request the following information from a subset of visa applicants worldwide:
- Travel history during the last fifteen years, including source of funding for travel;
- Address history during the last fifteen years;
- Employment history during the last fifteen years;
- All passport numbers and country of issuance held by the applicant;
- Names and dates of birth for all siblings;
- Name and dates of birth for all children;
- Names and dates of birth for all current and former spouses, or civil or domestic partners;
- Social media platforms and identifiers, also known as handles, used during the last five years; and
- Phone numbers and email addresses used during the last five years.
Regarding travel history, applicants may be requested to provide details of their international or domestic (within their country of nationality) travel, if it appears to the consular officer that the applicant has been in an area while the area was under the operational control of a terrorist organization. Applicants may be asked to recount or explain the details of their travel, and when possible, provide supporting documentation.
Please feel free to contact us with any applications that may be affected by this information.