NEW DELHI:The issuance of visas is a sovereign right of a government, and the United States reserves the right to take a decision on a visa based on its assessment of its national security implications, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

He said the recent announcements made by the United States, with the latest being on Wednesday, during which visa adjudication has been made a national security decision.

His comments came amid increasing concerns over the US tightening its visa screening system, including scrutinising social media accounts of applicants, a move that is likely to affect Indian applicants as well.