Your political opinions online could cost you US visa: Trump administration expands screening for H-1B and H-4 visas
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Your political opinions online could cost you US visa: Trump administration expands screening for H-1B and H-4 visas")
Photograph: (AFP)
The US Department of State has mandated an online presence review for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, a requirement took effect from December 15, as part of expanded screening measures.
Expanding the scope of the crackdown on immigrants and individuals looking to migrate to the United States seeking better employment and education opportunities, the Trump administration made the US visa-vetting system stricter. The US State Department announced that all H1B workers and their H-4 dependents must undergo social media screening. The decision was implemented on December 15.
“As of December 15, the Department will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review. To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public,” according to a US State Department press release.
The State Department stressed that it will use all the available information about an applicant in the visa screening and vetting process “We conduct thorough vetting of all visa applicants, including online presence review of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications.”
Explaining the rationale behind the move, the State Department said the system is designed to bolster national security while keeping the integrity of the visa system intact.
The US Embassy in India in June warned visa applicants against cleaning their social media profiles “Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,” the embassy said on X.
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The decision came amid the ongoing crackdown on immigration by the Trump administration, the US President imposed stricter conditions on the H1B visa programme, making it difficult for job seekers to enter the United States. Beginning September 1, US employers seeking to hire foreign professionals in specialised occupations have to pay $1 lakh supplemental fee for new workers.
