The US State Department has directed American diplomats to start reviewing the LinkedIn pages and resumes of H-1B visa applicants, warning that anyone tied to what Washington calls censorship of protected speech in the United States could be denied entry, according to Reuters.
H-1B visas are lifelines for US tech companies that draw heavily from India and China. Many industry leaders backed Donald Trump last year, betting on a business-friendly environment even as immigration rules tightened. Now they face a new layer of vetting that the Trump administration says is aimed at defending free expression, Reuters reported.
According to the December 2 cable, consular officers must examine whether applicants or their accompanying family members have worked in fields such as content moderation, misinformation tracking, disinformation research, fact-checking, compliance or online safety. These roles, the cable said, may involve restricting speech that is protected under US law.
"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 cable instructed, citing a specific article of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Reuters first reported the directive.
The tighter screening applies to all visa categories, but the cable stressed heightened scrutiny for H-1B applicants because so many of them work in technology sectors, including social media and financial services, which US officials have accused of suppressing speech. "You must thoroughly explore their employment histories to ensure no participation in such activities," it said.
Both first-time and repeat applicants will be reviewed under the new rules.
The Trump administration has made free speech a centrepiece of foreign policy, often criticising European allies for allegedly curbing conservative voices. US officials have gone after governments in Germany, France and Romania for what they view as the policing of immigration debates under the banner of countering disinformation.
Earlier this year, Republican Senator Marco Rubio warned he would push for visa bans for anyone involved in censoring US speech, including employees of foreign agencies that regulate American tech companies. The administration has already expanded social-media screening for student visa applicants and raised H-1B fees as part of a broader immigration overhaul.
Source: ANI