US State Department seeks tougher visa scrutiny, including social media checks

The US Department of State has proposed tougher questioning of visa applicants believed to warrant extra scrutiny, according to a document published Thursday, in a push toward the "extreme vetting" that President Donald Trump has said is necessary to prevent terrorist attacks. 

Questions about social media accounts would be part of the stepped-up criteria, which would apply to 65,000 people per year, or about 0.5 percent of US visa applicants worldwide, the State Department estimated. It did not target nationals of any particular countries. 

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