Donald Trump Presidency triggers birth record corrections

Thiruvananthapuram: There is a spike in a certain kind of birth certificate correction at Thiruvananthapuram corporation ever since Donald Trump became the US President, according to corporation officials.

In recent months, those applying for US immigrant visa have been submitting applications to expand the initials in their names in the birth certificates. For example, if the birth certificate says Murali R, the applicant would want to correct his name in the birth certificate to Murali Raman. The applicants, according to the officials, have been saying that visa processes have become more stringent after Trump took over.

Birth certificate is mandatory proof for date of birth while applying for visa in many countries, including the US and Canada.

The details in birth certificate should be consistent with the details in passport, and Indian passports do not allow names with initials. “You will never find an Indian passport in which the name is spelt with initials, as we follow International Civil Aviation Organisation guidelines. The initial is always expanded,” says Regional Passport Officer Ashique Karattil.

Birth certificate was mandatory even before Trump was elected, but the enforcement has become stricter now, according to lawyer Manoj Pillai. “Countries enforce immigration laws to keep away people who would become a liability, enjoying the social security benefits. The laws have been the same before, but it is more stringent during Trump reign,” he says.