This is the name of the form that can be requested by the Department of State from any visa applicant whom they think deserve ‘greater scrutiny’. It came out during the first half of 2017 as part of the various initiatives of the President of the United States to implement what U.S. immigration agencies refer to as ‘enhanced vetting’. The information requested goes significantly beyond anything asked in immigration forms, including forms for green card applications. Applicants have to provide the following as part of the DS-5535:
- 15-year history of travel, employment, and address
- 5-year history of the public profilesused to create or share content
- 5-year history of all email addresses used including ‘primary, secondary, work, personal, and educational addresses’
The Department of State stated that they expect 65,000 applicants, representing 0.5% of all visa applicants, to have to submit form DS-5535. No additional information about who may or may not be requested to submit the form has been provided.
