Trump team orders 'extra scrutiny' for visas

The Trump administration has instructed all its diplomatic missions worldwide to identify certain groups that need extra scrutiny and adopt a rigorous vetting process for issuing visas.

Those applying for an American visa including tourist and business visas would be asked to furnish details of their employment and residence for the last 15 years and

all the phone numbers they used in the previous five years, a diplomatic cable issued by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, said. The cable was sent after President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order restricting travel from six Muslim-majority Muslim countries on March 6.

The cable dated March 15 says these additional protocols have been put in place to prevent the entry into the US of foreign nationals who may aid, support or commit violent, criminal or terrorist acts and ensure that those allowed to come in are rigorously vetted.

The classified cable asks all its overseas diplomatic posts to immediately draw a set of criteria for a rigorous vetting process for issuing visas to foreign nationals. It was not clear if the move will have any impact on Indians. The cable instructed visa issuing officers to ask additional questions to the applicants. It would also require the applicant to share with visa officer all phone numbers, emails and social media accounts used in the last five years. Tillerson's cable also restricts the number of interviews one visa officer can do every day. "In order to ensure that proper focus is given to each application, posts should generally not

schedule more than 120 visa interviews per consular adjudicator per day," it said.