WASHINGTON: The vetting of applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled will be increased as ordered by Trump’s administration. Anyone they deem involved in the censorship of free speech will be considered for rejection.
For US tech companies H-1B visas are crucial. They recruit heavily from countries including China and India. In the last Presidential elections many of these companies supported Trump.
On December 2 a cable was sent to all US missions. It ordered the US consular officers to review the Linkedin profiles or resumes of H-1B applicants. They also told them to review the family members that will be travelling with them. To check in what areas, they had worked in and see if they ever involved in disinformation, misinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, online safety and compliance.
“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, the cable said.
All visa applicants will be subject to this policy according to the cable. However, H-1B applicants will experience a higher review due to the fact they work in technology sector, including financial service companies and social media.
“You must thoroughly explore their employment histories to ensure no participation in such activities,” the cable said.
Both repeat and first time applicants will be vetted.
The Trump administration sees stifling of conservative voices alone as a matter of free speech and also made it a focus of US foreign Policy.
The administration has also been repeatedly accusing Joe Biden and his administration of suppressing free speech especially online.
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