US starts screening of social media for issuing H-1B visas

STC NEWS MONITORING DESK
SRINAGAR, DECEMBER 15 (STC): The United States has begun screening and vetting the social media accounts of all H-1B visa applicants and their dependent H-4 visa applicants, starting today (December 15). As per the Donald Trump-led administration order quited by a cross section of media, the aim of the enhanced screening is to identify applicants who are “inadmissible” to the country, since a US visa is a “privilege, not a right”, the order says,
The H-1B visa is issued to foreign employees and is used by American companies to hire talent from outside the country. Notably, Indian nationals are the largest group to benefit from this programme.
Even before the rule took effect, the US Embassy in India had rescheduled many visa interviews, leaving several applicants stranded and affecting their travel plans. “Arriving on your previously scheduled appointment date will result in your being denied admittance to the Embassy or Consulate,” the embassy said.
Meanwhile, many H-1B and H-4 holders also saw their visas being “prudentially revoked” even if they merely had a past interaction with law enforcement but no conviction, immigration attorney Emily Neumann said in a post on X. Notably, a prudential visa revocation is a temporary and precautionary step taken as a matter of caution, and it does not amount to a permanent cancellation of the visa.
Notably, in an order issued on December 3, the US state department said it aims to expand the requirement for an online presence review to be conducted for all H-1B visa applicants and their dependent H-4 visa applicants, apart from students and exchange visitors who are already subject to the review.
“The state department 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,” it said in the order.
While justifying the process, the department said that a “US visa is a privilege, not a right” and that every visa adjudication is a “national security decision”.
The social media screening and vetting process applies to all H-1B applicants and their dependents. Notably, Indians constitute the largest proportion of H-1B visa holders.
With this order, Indians are expected to be the worst-hit, as they account for more than 70 per cent of all H-1B visas, as per US administration data. This is followed by Chinese nationals, who constitute about 11 to 12 per cent of H-1B visa holders.
Notably, there are about 300,000 Indian workers in the US who hold H-1B visas and are mostly engaged in the technology and services industries.
(Straight Talk Communications I Source: Hindustan Times)