The United States on Wednesday directed all foreign workers applying for H-1B visas and their dependents to keep their social media profiles public for them to be reviewed.
In June, the Donald Trump administration issued similar directions for student visa applicants, stating that the government would conduct a “comprehensive and thorough vetting”, including of their online presence.
H-1B visas allow US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Over the past few years, Indians have constituted the majority of H-1B visa holders. Indians comprised 72.3% of all H-1B visas issued by the US in the financial year 2022-’23.
The new rules will apply to new applicants and those requesting a renewal of their visas, Reuters reported.
Washington has repeatedly said that it was planning changes to the H-1B visa programme, saying that it was “terrible”.
Issuing the directions on Wednesday, the US State Department said that it uses all available information in visa screening and vetting to identify “visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to US national security or public safety”.
The department said that every visa adjudication is a national security decision. It added that the authorities must be vigilant in ensuring that those applying for visas “do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests”.
All applicants must credibly establish their eligibility for the visa, “including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission”, the department said.
The statement came a day after the Trump administration sent a memo to US diplomatic missions to review resumes and LinkedIn profiles of H-1B applicants and their dependents, who are issued H-4 visas, to check if they have worked in areas such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking or online safety, reported Reuters.
“If you uncover evidence an applicant was responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States, you should pursue a finding that the applicant is ineligible,” the news agency quoted the memo as stating.
During his first term, Trump had tightened rules on H-1B visas, citing “abuse” and “economic strain”.
The directions on Wednesday came amid the Trump administration’s intensified crackdown on immigration.
On September 19, Trump signed an order requiring companies to pay $100,000 for each H-1B worker visa. However, two days after the rule came into effect, his administration clarified that the fee applies only to new applicants and does not affect current holders.
Also read: How H-1B visas are caught in the political divide over US immigration
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