Washington: US President Donald Trump-led administration is set to initiate a new campaign in which the government will enhance screening social media
platforms of H-1B and H-4 visa applicants from December 15 onwards. According to a new order of the State Department, from December 15 onwards, the government will review social media presence of all H-1B applicants and their dependents as well. In a statement, the State Department said, “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”. This scrutiny was already taking place for students and exchange visitors but the government has now extended this to H-1B and their dependents.
What Are F, M and J Visas?
The F, M and J visas are used by students and exchange visitors to come to the US.
Several H-1B visa holders have had their interviews in India rescheduled in the wake of this new guideline to vet their social media profiles.
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Why Trump Govt Wants to Scrutinise Social Media Handles of H-1B, H-4 Visa Applicants
Underscoring that a US visa is a privilege, not a right, the State Department has said that it uses all available information in visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to America, including those who pose a threat to the country's national security or public safety.
“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,” it said, underlining that every visa adjudication is a national security decision.
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“The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests, and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission," it added.
The new directive is the latest move by the Trump administration in its increased crackdown on immigration.
Indians Largest Holders of H-1B Visa
The administration launched a massive crackdown to check abuse in the H-1B visa programme which is used by companies, particularly technology companies, to employ foreign workers in the US.
Indian professionals, including technology workers and physicians, are among the largest cohort of H-1B visa holders.
When Donald Trump Dropped Bombshell Reform on US' H-1B Policy
In September this year, Trump issued a proclamation titled ‘Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers’ as an important initial step to reform the H-1B nonimmigrant visa programme.
Under the proclamation, the Trump administration announced a one-time fee of USD 100,000 on new H-1B work visas, an order that could impact Indian professionals looking to work in the US on the temporary visas.
Washington has also paused with immediate effect Green Card, US citizenship and other immigration applications for immigrants hailing from 19 “countries of concern”, in the wake of a shooting of National Guard soldiers by an Afghan national.
A policy memorandum earlier this month directed the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to “place on hold”, effective immediately, all asylum applications, regardless of the immigrant’s country of nationality, pending a comprehensive review.
These are the same countries that were subject to a travel ban announced by Trump in a proclamation issued in June this year.
With inputs from PTI
