<p>New York/Washington: The Trump administration will begin on Monday enhanced screening and vetting of H-1B and its dependent H-4 visa applicants, including checks of their social media profiles.</p>.<p>In a new order, the State Department said that from December 15, a review of the online presence for all H-1B applicants and their dependents will be conducted.</p>.<p>Students and exchange visitors were already subject to this review and now the department has expanded this requirement to vet social media profiles to include H1-B applicants and their dependents on H-4 visas.</p>.<p>“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 said.</p>.<p>The F, M and J visas are used by students and exchange visitors to come to the US.</p>.New US Security Strategy signals a new world order in the making.<p>Several H-1B visa holders have had their interviews in India rescheduled in the wake of this new guideline to vet their social media profiles.</p>.<p>Underscoring that a US visa is a privilege, not a right, the State Department said that it uses all available information in visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the US, including those who pose a threat to the country's national security or public safety.</p><p>“We conduct thorough vetting of all visa applicants, including online presence review of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications,” it said, underlining that every visa adjudication is a national security decision. </p><p>The new directive is the latest move by the Trump administration in its increased crackdown on immigration. </p>
<p>New York/Washington: The Trump administration will begin on Monday enhanced screening and vetting of H-1B and its dependent H-4 visa applicants, including checks of their social media profiles.</p>.<p>In a new order, the State Department said that from December 15, a review of the online presence for all H-1B applicants and their dependents will be conducted.</p>.<p>Students and exchange visitors were already subject to this review and now the department has expanded this requirement to vet social media profiles to include H1-B applicants and their dependents on H-4 visas.</p>.<p>“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 said.</p>.<p>The F, M and J visas are used by students and exchange visitors to come to the US.</p>.New US Security Strategy signals a new world order in the making.<p>Several H-1B visa holders have had their interviews in India rescheduled in the wake of this new guideline to vet their social media profiles.</p>.<p>Underscoring that a US visa is a privilege, not a right, the State Department said that it uses all available information in visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the US, including those who pose a threat to the country's national security or public safety.</p><p>“We conduct thorough vetting of all visa applicants, including online presence review of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications,” it said, underlining that every visa adjudication is a national security decision. </p><p>The new directive is the latest move by the Trump administration in its increased crackdown on immigration. </p>