Costa Ricans who request or renew a visa for the United States must meet an additional requirement: they will have to start providing information about their social media accounts when applying for US visas.
The new requirement not only affects Ticos, but all foreign nationals when applying for US visas. It is expected to affect about 15 million foreigners who apply for visas to enter the United States each year.
A State Department official told The Hill Friday that the new policy will affect “most” visa applicants and temporary visitors, and that they will be required to “list their social media identifiers in a drop-down menu along with other personal information.”
An option will be made available for individuals who do not use any social media accounts. The Hill report further notes that applicants hesitant about the policy shouldn’t lie about their social media use, as it could lead to “serious immigration consequences.”
“National security is our top priority when adjudicating visa applications, and every prospective traveler and immigrant to the United States undergoes extensive security screening,” the department said. “We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect U.S. citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States.”
The new requirement stems from US President Donald Trump’s March 2017 executive order, titled “Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States.” The order called for the “extreme vetting” of new visa applicants.
The State Department published its intent to implement the policy in March 2018.
Social media, email and phone number histories had only been sought in the past from applicants who were identified for extra scrutiny, such as people who’d traveled to areas controlled by terrorist organizations.
The new rules apply to virtually all applicants for immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, requiring the applicant to provide any account names of social media platforms they may have had over the previous five years.
In addition to their social media histories, visa applicants are now asked for five years of previously used telephone numbers, email addresses, international travel and deportation status, as well as whether any family members have been involved in terrorist activities.
The United States Embassy in Costa Rica indicated that national security is the most important at the time of awarding visas, so all interested parties must undergo extensive security scrutiny.
What percentage of Ticos obtain a US tourist visa?
In an article by La Nacion in January 2018, Costa Rica ranked 15th, among 155 nations, in the ranking of visas granted to visit the United States for recreation and had a visa approval rate of 93.51% (for the period of October 1, 2016, and September 30, 2017).
In Latin America (for the same period) Argentina had the highest approval rate of 98.21%, followed by Uruguay with 96.81%.
In Central America, Panamians followed Costa Ricans with an 88.39% approval, while Nicaraguans with a 56.7%% approval.
The Northern Triangle of Central America countries: Guatemala 52.86%, Honduras 59.65% and El Salvador 47.03%.
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- Argentina 98.21%
- Uruguay 96.81%
- Hong Kong 96.55%
- Oman 96.54%
- Brazil 96.3%
- Malaysia 96.07%
- Israel 95.12%
- Kiribati 94.87%
- Saudi Arabia 94.74%
- Macao 94.62%
- United Arab Emirates 94.2%
- Marshall Islands 94.12%
- Namibia 93.69%
- South Africa 93.56%
- Costa Rica 93.51%
- Paraguay 93.17%
- East Timor 92.98%
- Obtain 92.52%
- Barbados 91.88%
- Mauritius 91.71%
- Kuwait 91.68%
- Bahrain 90.47%
- Bahamas 90.68%
- Papua New Guinea 90.66%
- Indonesia 89.01%
- Madagascar 89%
- Suriname 88.56%
- Panama 88.39%
- Russia 88.39%
- Swaziland 87.41%
- Seychelles 86.86%
- Vanuatu 86.49%
- China 85.43%
- Sao Tome and Principe 85.19%
- Tuvalu 84.62%
- Bosnia-Herzegovina 83.63%
- Solomon Islands 83.21%
- Turkey 82.14%
- Burma 82.12%
- Botswana 82.06%
- Bolivia 81.92%
- Equatorial Guinea 81.79%
- Tanzania 81.64%
- Tunisia 80,47%
- Antigua and Barbuda 79.5%
- Thailand 79.85%
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 79.62%
- Nauru 79.03%
- Belarus 78.31%
- Zambia 78.28%
- Colombia 78.07%
- Serbia 77.67%
- Saint Lucia 77.66%
- Trinidad and Tobago 77.54%
- Mexico 77.5%
- India 76.71%
- Vietnam 75.94%
- Philippines 74.46%
- Peru 74,03%
- Gabon 73.9%
- Mozambique 73.82%
- Sri Lanka 73.81%
- Zimbabwe 73.68%
- Montenegro 73.59%
- Malawi 73.51%
- Fiji 73.41% approval
- Saint Kitts and Nevis 73.34%
- Grenada 73.06%
- Azerbaijan 72.37%
- Maldives 72.26%
- Ecuador 72.05%
- Macedonia 71.31%
- Dominica 71.22%
- Niger 69.35%
- Belize 69.09%
- Lebanon 68.25%
- Kazakhstan 67.19%
- Tonga 67.15%
- Kenya 66.83%
- Ivory Coast 66.28%
- Egypt 65.76%
- Ukraine 65.46%
- Without recognized nationality 64.39%
- Dominican Republic 64.22%
- Lesotho 64,03%
- Angola 63.99%
- Morocco 63.01%
- Kosovo 62.08%
- Guyana 62.08%
- Jordan 59.94%
- Samoa 59.68%
- Honduras 59.65%
- Albania 59.55%
- Turkmenistan 59.4%
- Cambodia 58.95%
- Benin 57.9%
- Uganda 57.62%
- Venezuela 57.13%
- Nicaragua 56.72%
- Algeria 56.04%
- Central African Republic 55.76%
- Nigeria 55.05%
- Libya 54.5%
- Nepal 53.58%
- Jamaica 53.2%
- Guatemala 52.86%
- Cameroon 52.71%
- Sierra Leone 52.7%
- South Sudan 52.48%
- Comoros 51.55%
- Republic of the Congo 51.53%
- Pakistan 50.6%
- Moldova 50.88%
- Democratic Republic of the Congo 50.06%
- Uzbekistan 49.71%
- Ethiopia 49.7%
- Cabo Verde 49.3%
- Palestine 49.02%
- Sudan 48.63%
- Chad 48.35%
- Tajikistan 48.16%
- Armenia 48.13%
- Rwanda 47.83%
- Bhutan 47.57%
- El Salvador 47.03%
- Mongolia 46.38%
- North Korea 45.45%
- Kyrgyzstan 44.42%
- Ghana 43.82%
- Senegal 43.15%
- Iran 41.34%
- Syria 40.89%
- Mali 40.57%
- Togo 40.12%
- Iraq 39.29%
- Yemen 39.24%
- Bangladesh 39.12%
- Georgia 38.91%
- Laos 36.34%
- Guinea 35.41%
- Liberia 35,02%
- Mauritania 32.7%
- Gambia 29.73%
- Haiti 28.56%
- Guinea Bissau 28.39%
- Eritrea 28.1%
- Afghanistan 27.86%
- Djibouti 25.2%
- Somalia 24.5%
- Burundi 24.45%
- Burkina Faso 24.26%
- Cuba 22.83%
- Republic of Palau 16,67%
- Western Sahara 0%
- Micronesia 0% approval
Source U.S. State Dept
