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Trump’s big H-1B, H-4 visa move: Social media vetting for all applicants from Dec 15
The new H-1B visa order requires that applicants change their social media profiles to a “public” setting to aid in the screening process.
The US government has tightened its vetting process for H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 dependents, introducing mandatory social media screening for all applicants starting December 15.
The new order requires that applicants change their social media profiles to a “public” setting to aid in the screening process.
In an order issued Wednesday, the US state department said, “To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public'.”
Emphasising that a US visa is “a privilege and not a right,” the department said, “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.” It added that officers rely on all available information to determine admissibility and potential risks.
The department reiterated that the US “must be vigilant” to ensure applicants do not intend to harm Americans.
The decision has raised concerns among Indian professionals, who form one of the largest groups of H-1B visa holders.
Jaishankar on latest H-1B changes
Responding to concerns in Parliament, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said scrutiny of visa applicants is the prerogative of the host country. “The issuance of visas is a sovereign right of a government,” he told the Rajya Sabha, news agency PTI reported.
He said the American position is clear: “In the case of the United States, the US government has taken a view… that every visa adjudication is a national security decision.”
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Jaishankar added that Washington retains the right to make visa decisions based on “their assessment of the national security implications of a particular individual's position.”
He also noted that the US has openly stated its intention to examine applicants’ online activity.
On whether India had raised the matter with US authorities, Jaishankar confirmed that it had. “Wherever it came to our attention… the consulates and embassies have intervened where possible,” he said, adding that India has urged the US to recognise that minor violations should not trigger such punitive action, PTI reported.
Strict immigration policy under Trump
The directive adds to a series of immigration-tightening steps taken by President Donald Trump’s administration, including a crackdown on an alleged misuse of the H-1B programme used heavily by US tech firms.
In September, Trump issued a proclamation titled Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, imposing a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B work visas. The order could significantly affect Indian professionals seeking temporary employment in the US.
In a separate move, Washington has halted Green Card, citizenship, and other immigration applications from nationals of 19 “countries of concern”, following a shooting incident involving an Afghan national.
A USCIS memorandum issued Tuesday directs officials to “place on hold”, with immediate effect, all asylum applications pending a comprehensive review. The pause covers nationals of countries earlier included in the travel ban: Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Chad, Congo, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Yemen, the PTI report added.
The action follows a shooting in Washington DC that left US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, dead and US Air Force Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24, critically injured. The accused was later identified as 29-year-old Lakanwal and he had entered the US through Operation Allies Welcome, a programme for Afghan nationals fleeing the 2021 Taliban takeover.
