Rosanna Berardi, Esq., Managing Partner of Berardi Immigration Law, was featured in the National Post to explain the real impact of the United States’ newly proposed “mandatory social media” rule for travelers.
The proposal, released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), would require all ESTA applicants, travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries, to provide five years of social media history before entering the U.S. The rule has sparked widespread confusion, particularly in Canada.
Rosanna made one point crystal clear: Canadian citizens are not affected.
“Canadian citizens traveling on a Canadian passport are not part of the Visa Waiver Program and therefore do not complete ESTA for standard short-term visits,” Berardi said. “They are admitted under a separate, longstanding visa-exempt regime between the U.S. and Canada.”
She also clarified that social-media scrutiny may arise only in specific circumstances for Canadians:
“The only time a Canadian might encounter something similar is if they are applying for a formal U.S. visa… Those applications already involve extensive security questions, and in some cases social media identifiers.”
However, non-Canadian residents living in Canada who rely on ESTA or a visa to enter the United States would be subject to the proposed rule. In addition to social media history, CBP has signaled the possibility of collecting years of phone numbers, email addresses, and even family details.
Rosanna’s inclusion in national media highlights Berardi Immigration Law’s ongoing role as a trusted source for clear, practical insight amid rapidly changing U.S. immigration policies.
Read the full National Post article here:
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/mandatory-social-media-history-us-tourists
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