Foreign tourists entering the US may soon be required to supply their social media histories from the past five years, in addition to their relations’ names and addresses, as a way to obtain a travel authorization.
Nonetheless, Canadian residents wouldn’t be affected by the proposed changes to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program.
Visitors to the U.S. from nearly 4 dozen visa-exempt nations — including the UK, Australia, Germany and Israel — must apply for an ESTA before entering the country.
The brand new rules, if approved, would add social media disclosure as “a compulsory data element for an ESTA application,” in response to the notice published Wednesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security.
“The info element would require ESTA applicants to supply their social media from the last five years,” the notice within the U.S. Federal Register says.
The proposal also seeks so as to add an inventory of “high value data fields” to the ESTA application, including:
- Telephone numbers utilized in the last five years;
- Email addresses utilized in the last 10 years;
- Member of the family names (parents, spouse, siblings, children) and their dates and places of birth, in addition to their residencies;
- Family number telephone numbers utilized in the last five years;
- Biometrics corresponding to facial photos, fingerprints, DNA, and iris scans;
- Business telephone numbers utilized in the last five years; and
- Business email addresses utilized in the last 10 years.
CBP estimates travellers filling out an ESTA application will need an additional 22 minutes to supply the extra information.
The notice says the proposed changes align with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order, signed on the primary day of his second term in January 2025, that asked agencies to make sure any foreigner entering the U.S. “are vetted and screened to the utmost degree possible.”
U.S. residents can have 60 days to comment on the proposal, the notice says.
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The brand new rules are being proposed because the U.S. prepares to host the FIFA World Cup next yr alongside Canada and Mexico, which can bring travellers from world wide to witness the worldwide soccer tournament.
Fans coming to attend the World Cup matches can be fast-tracked for visa applications, the U.S. State Department has announced.
The Trump administration has otherwise sought to clamp down on foreign travel and immigration to the U.S. through a series of additional regulations and requirements.
CBP and DHS said in late October it intends to begin rolling out enhanced biometric screening in the ultimate week of this yr, which can require all travellers entering and exiting the U.S. — including Canadians — to have their photo taken.
“I believe what (the Trump administration has) been attempting to do all along — and this is only one piece of it — is say, ‘Listen, America’s closed, we’re not screwing around anymore,’” Rosanna Berardi, an immigration lawyer based in Buffalo, N.Y., told Global News.
“‘If you wish to come, you’re gonna be vetted heavily. In the event you’re not comfortable with that, then stay home.’ And that’s been the message, unfortunately, since January.”
Berardi noted that Canadian residents won’t be affected by the proposed ESTA changes, as Canadians are exempt from this system and only need to indicate their Canadian passport on the U.S. border.
CBP guidance says Canadian residents who’re travelling with a Canadian passport don’t need an ESTA to enter the U.S.
Which means Canadians won’t be subject to the proposed rule changes, Berardi noted.
Nonetheless, she said the increased data disclosure rules could apply to Canadian everlasting residents who hold passports from some visa-exempt countries.
Everlasting residents who’re residents of nations where a visa remains to be required, corresponding to India or China, would still must apply for a visa and be subject to enhanced vetting through that separate entry stream.
“It’s very country-specific,” Berardi said.
“Anytime the federal government does something like this, it’s at all times as clear as mud, as you’ll be able to tell.”
The proposed rule changes also seek to shut down the ESTA application website and move the complete process to mobile devices, which DHS says will “each enhance security and improve efficiency” attributable to higher image quality from mobile cameras.
The notice says “poor quality image uploads to the ESTA website have resulted in applicants bypassing the facial comparison screening,” a “vulnerability that CBP believes travellers are aware of and “have begun to use it by purposely uploading poor quality images to avoid detection.”
The agencies add moving the appliance process from the web site may even reduce fraud from third-party web sites that issue false travel authorizations to unsuspecting travellers who find yourself paying higher fees.
Nonetheless, Berardi said prioritizing mobile devices will include its own challenges.
“My dad is 86 and really tech savvy, but when I told him you’ve gotten to download this app and upload an image, I might should help him with that,” she said.
Asking seniors “wanting to go to Disney World” or take an analogous U.S. vacation to list their past email addresses and relations’ information may even be “a really big ask,” Berardi added.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.