Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for H-1B and H-4 Visa Applicants
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced today that starting on December 15th, it will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review (F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications). To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and H-4 visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to “public.”
DOS will be using available social media information in visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety.
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