Aussies Face Tougher U.S. Entry As Social Media Checks Loom

Australians planning a stateside escape may soon need more than a passport and an ESTA — they might have to hand over five years of their social media history before boarding the plane.

Under a new proposal released by the Trump administration, visitors from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, France, Japan and 38 other visa-exempt nations would be required to list their social media accounts as part of their ESTA application. What’s been optional until now would become mandatory, bringing ESTA travellers in line with those who apply for full tourist visas.

And it doesn’t stop at Instagram handles. The draft rules would also demand:

• Phone numbers from the past five years
• Email addresses from the past ten years
• Selected family details
• Biometric information

The proposal is currently open for 60 days of public comment, but it’s already causing waves. The Trump administration has been rolling out increasingly strict entry requirements over the past year, affecting everyone from student visa applicants, who are now required to make their social media profiles public, to skilled workers, who will face the same obligation next week.

Legal experts warn the expanded scrutiny may be aimed at tightening control over online speech — and travel industry observers fear the new measures could derail plans for international fans heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.

For thousands of Australians currently living or travelling in the US, the shifting visa landscape is becoming more complicated by the month.
For holidaymakers eyeing a Californian road trip or a New York city break, keep watch as the way you enter America could be about to change in a big way.