CBP will also add several “high-value data fields” to the ESTA application “when feasible”. These fields include: phone numbers for the past five years, email addresses for the past 10 years, IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos, family member names, numbers, dates of birth, places of birth and place of residence, biometrics such as face, fingerprint, DNA and iris, and business contact details.
The changes are open to public comment for the next 60 days and must be approved by the powerful Office of Management and Budget, run by Trump appointee Russell Vought.
More than 1 million Australians visited the United States in 2024. Australia is one of 42 countries with access to the Visa Waiver Program for short stays.Credit: Getty
US immigration advisory firm Fragomen says that if the changes are implemented, visitors to the US should be aware they will be asked for a higher level of personal detail and become subject to a social media review.
“The increase in data collection could also mean that ESTA applicants would face an increased likelihood of being flagged for closer scrutiny and/or would experience longer waits for ESTA approval,” Fragomen says.
More than 1 million Australians travelled to the US in 2024, with most using the visa waiver program for short stays. From January to October this year, 810,000 Australians have entered the US – down 5.6 per cent, US data says. For tourist visas, the number is down 6.4 per cent.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was contacted for comment overnight. Other countries on the program that will be affected by the new policy include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Qatar.
US President Donald Trump dances on Tuesday after speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania at which he resurrected his previous complaints about “shithole countries”.Credit: AP
In June, Australian man Alistair Kitchen was detained and questioned at the US border about pro-Palestinian protests he attended while studying at Columbia University, and which he wrote about on his blog. He said he was questioned about his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and ultimately deported back to Australia after admitting to past drug use.
The latest move expands on the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown following the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington in November, over which an Afghan refugee has been charged.
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The US plans to expand the travel ban that Trump applied in June to 19 countries, including 12 that are subject to a complete ban and seven that have a partial one.
At a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night, local time, Trump resurrected his infamous description of “shithole countries”, which was leaked from a meeting with lawmakers during his first term.
“We had a meeting, and I say, ‘Why is it that we only take people from shithole countries?’” Trump told the rally.
“Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few … but we always take people Somalia, places that are a disaster – filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.”
