U.S. Asks H-1B and H-4 Visa Seekers to Open Their
Social Media Profiles for Review
Los Angeles/Dec 06, 2025
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh
The Trump administration has issued new guidance directing U.S. consular officers to deny visas to applicants—particularly H-1B candidates—who have previously worked in areas the administration considers to be “censorship” of Americans' speech. An internal State Department memo instructs officers to look for job roles involving fact-checking, content moderation, misinformation research, trust and safety, or compliance, and to deem applicants ineligible if they were involved in restricting protected expression.
The memo builds on a policy unveiled in May by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which blocks visas for foreign individuals viewed as complicit in suppressing Americans’ speech online. The administration has long criticized tech companies’ moderation practices, arguing that efforts to regulate harmful content are politically biased.
Trust-and-safety experts say the directive misrepresents their work, noting these teams focus on preventing child exploitation, scams, fraud, and other harmful activity—not censoring opinions. Legal scholars also warn the policy could conflict with First Amendment protections.
Meanwhile, the State Department has announced an additional requirement: H-1B applicants and their dependents must set their social media profiles to public so officers can examine their online activity as part of the vetting process.
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