H-1B visas remain crucial for tech companies based in the United States which recruit in a bulk manner from countries including India and China. (Representational/ File Photo) US President Donald Trump’s administration has reportedly ordered an enhanced vetting of H-1B visa applicants for highly skilled workers and anyone possibly involved in “censorship” of free speech would be considered for rejection, according to a US State Department cable, reported Reuters.
H-1B visas remain crucial for tech companies based in the United States which recruit in a bulk manner from countries including India and China. Notably, many of these tech companies’ owners and CEOs backed and sponsored Donald Trump in last year’s US presidential election.
The State Department cable, sent on December 2 to all US missions, reportedly directs US consular officers to review LinkedIn profiles or resumes of the H-1B visa applicants and their family members who would be travelling with them in order to check if anyone has worked in areas that include activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others.
The cable, as cited by Reuters said, “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 under a specific article of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
However, the cable clarified that all visa applicants are subject to vetting under this policy, but it sought an increased scrutiny for the H-1B visa applicants as they more frequently worked in the US technology sector, “including in social media or financial services companies involved in the suppression of protected expression.”
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The Trump administration has made free speech a focus of its foreign policy and the new vetting requirements for H-1B visa applicants would apply to both repeat and new applicants.
“You must thoroughly explore their employment histories to ensure no participation in such activities,” the cable said. Earlier in May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had warned that visas would be banned for those who censor speech by Americans, including on social media.
(with inputs from Reuters)
