Facebook - Make or Break Your Case?

[HeatDeath 430]

Two points made earlier are worth amplifying:

A ) Unlike criminal investigations as depicted on American television, there is no "presumption of innocence" with the DoS (or USCIS for that matter). All visa applicants, particularly and especially those from countries where the GDP per capita is a tiny fraction of that of North America or western Europe, are assumed from the start to be immigration frauds, and the onus is on the applicant, right from the beginning, to assemble and present a package of evidence that convincingly shows otherwise.

B ) If, after reading all of the evidence that they are obliged to accept (this little wrinkle is why front-loading can be so important for certain embassies), they are still suspicious, you can bet that the background search will be expanded (assuming these aren't included automatically these days) to include any information you've posted on any public forum linkable to your name, email address, and frequently used nicknames and user ids. It's probably not even one click on their part - I would be highly surprised if automated tools didn't exist to automatically, without any further human action, assemble a dossier from public information on Google, Facebook and Myspace, given a simple name request by any interested government official.

It's not about being a Muslim, and it's not even particularly about possibly being a terrorist - it's about the simple reality that a lot more immigration frauds, as a percentage of total applications, originate from poor countries than from rich ones.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Then why not make everything private on facebook? You don't need to make everything public. There is the option to not allow yourself to be found in the facebook configuration or found via google. If you are that worried, then disable them.

Unless they are gaining access by hacking or using some law that requires facebook to allow them access, then they shouldn't even be able to see beyond your profile picture.

They have been known to ask for FB email and password at some interviews. And yes, if they want access they'll get it.

[NigeriAmerica 2]

Two points made earlier are worth amplifying:

A ) Unlike criminal investigations as depicted on American television, there is no "presumption of innocence" with the DoS (or USCIS for that matter). All visa applicants, particularly and especially those from countries where the GDP per capita is a tiny fraction of that of North America or western Europe, are assumed from the start to be immigration frauds, and the onus is on the applicant, right from the beginning, to assemble and present a package of evidence that convincingly shows otherwise.

B ) If, after reading all of the evidence that they are obliged to accept (this little wrinkle is why front-loading can be so important for certain embassies), they are still suspicious, you can bet that the background search will be expanded (assuming these aren't included automatically these days) to include any information you've posted on any public forum linkable to your name, email address, and frequently used nicknames and user ids. It's probably not even one click on their part - I would be highly surprised if automated tools didn't exist to automatically, without any further human action, assemble a dossier from public information on Google, Facebook and Myspace, given a simple name request by any interested government official.

It's not about being a Muslim, and it's not even particularly about possibly being a terrorist - it's about the simple reality that a lot more immigration frauds, as a percentage of total applications, originate from poor countries than from rich ones.

Okay; I get it now. Thank you.

Edited April 23, 2012 by NigeriAmerica

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

i am going to assume that you are just mis-informed or unable to articulate well.

the government is trying to protect the country from terrorists. not muslims. because terrorists have no religion. it is sad that we continue to mix the two. we dont call all caucasions nazis because the nazis were light colored. similarly over 90% of muslims are peace loving.

I hope you grabbed that statistic out of the air. Otherwise, you're saying there are over 100 million potential Muslim terrorists out there. I sincerely hope and believe the actual number is much smaller than this.

Also, most terrorists do believe in a religion, simply because most people believe in a religion. The question is whether their religious beliefs are their motivation for committing acts of terrorism. The overwhelming majority of terrorist acts are motivated by either political or religious conflict. At this particular point in history, the majority of terrorist acts that are motivated by religious conflict are committed by Muslims, and motivated by their belief in Islam. That doesn't mean that every Muslim who commits a terrorist act is automatically an Islamic terrorist, however. Palestinian militant groups often commit acts of terrorism, but their primary motivation is political and not religious, even though they are decidedly religious. Likewise, the Taliban are very strongly religious, but their terrorist acts are primarily motivated by the desire to achieve political goals.

An act of terrorism has little chance of accomplishing it's objective unless the people who commit that act make it clear what their motives and objectives are. When a group commits an act of terrorism, and then claims Islam as the basis for their actions, then people are justifiable in labeling the act Islamic terrorism. The perpetrators themselves have connected their deeds with their religion. No rational person would presume from this that most Muslims are terrorists. However, and I have to stress again that this is applicable at this particular point in history, the odds of a religious terrorist being a Muslim are statistically very high, while the odds of a religious terrorist being a Buddhist (for example) are extremely low. Our government would be naive to pretend this wasn't the case.

[AYMAN_RINA 92]

My husband have a fb and its in my real name so anyone can look it up but it is set as private It's only family and close friends on it so they can look and see.If nothing to hide why worry about fb Remember The Oklahoma City bombing he was American not middle eastern ...terrorist can be anyone I believe

[AmyWrites 593]

I would assume for cases where there's not enough evidence or it's a high fraud country they do, since a person who hides their partner, in particular when married, from their online life probably isn't being honest about many things.

[NigeriAmerica 2]

My husband have a fb and its in my real name so anyone can look it up but it is set as private It's only family and close friends on it so they can look and see.If nothing to hide why worry about fb Remember The Oklahoma City bombing he was American not middle eastern ...terrorist can be anyone I believe

Very True!

My husband have a fb and its in my real name so anyone can look it up but it is set as private It's only family and close friends on it so they can look and see.If nothing to hide why worry about fb Remember The Oklahoma City bombing he was American not middle eastern ...terrorist can be anyone I believe

I'm sure they can also hack systems and check people's IP address, if they use different emails and usernames.

[AYMAN_RINA 92]

Very True!

I'm sure they can also hack systems and check people's IP address, if they use different emails and usernames.

If your truthful why worry ...Him and I share that account all our family is on it

[Adriene H 89]

I am sure they are not wasting time checking FB from Norway people.

It is usually just the high fraud or Muslim people

Government trying to protect women and our country

I would hope they'd check people from Norway,

especially after that Norwegian militant guy

who shot down like 77 youths several months

ago.

[together4evr 360]

I would hope they'd check people from Norway,

especially after that Norwegian militant guy

who shot down like 77 youths several months

ago.

As I said...Muslims or that guy was studying Al Qaeda and visited Liberia 2001. So of course he would have has his private emails checked out if he had a visa pending.

Thanks for proving my point.

No matter where you live...if you study Islam or practice Islam you will be scrutiized during the visa process

Edited April 23, 2012 by togetherforever13

[Rob & Monika 87]

I suggest signing up for a second FB account and looking at your wall to see what is really public, then change posts to public that will benefit your application. Despite having my settings set to private, I had a lot of things that were out in public.

[ScramJet 35]

Forget about Facebook, that's the least of your concerns. Do some research on your fiancee's country and it's peculiarities when it comes to immigration into the United States. Try to find out everything about your fiancee and vice versa. Prepare yourself mentally for abusive or obtrusive consular officers who will be interviewing him and asking him all sorts of humiliating questions. But before you do any of this set your FB to private, or better yet, erase your profile.

Unrelated question to everybody; what is this need to keep personal info out there for the taking?

[Love's JAA 100]

Forget about Facebook, that's the least of your concerns. Do some research on your fiancee's country and it's peculiarities when it comes to immigration into the United States. Try to find out everything about your fiancee and vice versa. Prepare yourself mentally for abusive or obtrusive consular officers who will be interviewing him and asking him all sorts of humiliating questions. But before you do any of this set your FB to private, or better yet, erase your profile.

Unrelated question to everybody; what is this need to keep personal info out there for the taking?

Find out about her country, or the country she will interview in?

[Adriene H 89]

would a terrorist announce that they are a terrorist on their fb or gloat about their kamakazi plans?

fyi, my fb has my wedding-family portrait as poster pic. facebook.com/unlockingsky

Some terroists are pretty passionate. Haven't

some communicated their plans via Twitter?

[peachzz 0]

Is it true? The CO Folks at the Embassy check your Facebook activities to view you and/or your fiance's/spouse' behavior? Many people use aliases and many people have the exact same names, so how are they certain the accounts truly belong to the Petitioners and/or their Fiances with pending cases with USCIS?

i dont know if they do or not...but of course they can!is USA!jaja...

but if they do or they dont...if u dont have nothing to hide,and u are true with your relationship....why to worry???

i wont be scare if i know im honest...