As of December 15, the U.S. Department of State will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review. 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.”
The State Department noted in their recent announcement that the agency “uses all available 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.”
Employers should notify all H-1B staff and dependents about this new requirement.
Employees should review their social media presence to ensure it is accurate and consistent with their petition materials. With more materials now being reviewed, this can create slower processing and administrative delays for H-1B applicants and their dependents.