{"id":33531,"date":"2025-12-08T10:45:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T18:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/h-1b-visa-applicants-will-now-have-their-social-media-scrutinized\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T10:45:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T18:45:19","slug":"h-1b-visa-applicants-will-now-have-their-social-media-scrutinized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/h-1b-visa-applicants-will-now-have-their-social-media-scrutinized\/","title":{"rendered":"H-1B visa applicants will now have their social media scrutinized"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech\">\n    <button class=\"text-to-speech__button button\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"text-to-speech__button__icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/static\/img\/play.svg?500116090725\" alt=\"-\"><br \/>\n        Listen to the article<br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-to-speech__button__audio-length\">3 min<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls\">\n        <audio controls=\"\" class=\"js-text-to-speech\" preload=\"none\"><source src=\"https:\/\/text-to-speech.divecdn.com\/newspost\/807261\/2025-12-08_10.31.22\/h-1b-visa-applicants-will-now-have-their-social-media-scrutinized.wav\" type=\"audio\/mp3\"><\/source><\/audio><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls__text\">\n            This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">feedback<\/a>.\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Dive Brief:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>As of Dec. 15, the U.S. State Department will be conducting \u201can online presence review\u201d of H-1B visa applicants and their dependents. As a part of this policy, everyone under review is required to set their social media account settings to \u201cpublic.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>The goal, per <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/News\/visas-news\/announcement-of-expanded-screening-and-vetting-for-h-1b-and-dependent-h-4-visa-applicants.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>the department\u2019s announcement<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> Wednesday, is to verify which visa applicants are \u201cinadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>One law firm noted that this new policy \u201cmarks a <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wolfsdorf.com\/state-department-to-begin-online-presence-review-vetting-for-all-h-1b-and-h-4-visa-applicants-on-december-15-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>significant shift in consular screening <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span>for employment-based visa categories.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Dive Insight:<\/h3>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>This update in policy from the State Department comes on the heels of President Donald Trump signing the \u201cRestriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers\u201d presidential proclamation, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hrdive.com\/news\/trump-tech-employers-with-h-1b-visa-fee\/760816\/\" target=\"_blank\">which requires employers to pay $100,000 to file most H-1B visa petitions<\/a>, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span><span><span><span>on Sept. 21.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also brought back <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdive.com\/news\/dhs-revive-wage-based-h-1b-visa-selection-criteria\/760907\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>wage-based H-1B visa selection criteria<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> that same month, and under Chair Andrea Lucas, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission put out a technical assistance document in November on <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdive.com\/news\/eeoc-hints-at-2026-priorities-with-national-origin-bias-guidance\/806115\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>anti-American bias at work.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> The guidance called out job listings with phrases like \u201cH-1B preferred\u201d or \u201cH-1B only.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>These moves align with this administration\u2019s prioritization of American workers, as seen on the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/general\/America250\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Department of Labor page celebrating America\u2019s 250th birthday<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span>. \u201cAmerican Workers First is not just a slogan,\u201d the DOL said. \u201cIt\u2019s our promise to deliver results for the hardworking people of our great nation.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Apart from fitting into White House\u2019s vision for the workforce, the State Department\u2019s new H-1B policy appears to be an extension of the administration\u2019s overall immigration policy. Back in August, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its guidance to factor \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/manifestlaw.com\/blog\/immigration\/news\/uscis-expands-social-media-vetting-to-all-immigration-benefits\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>anti-American\u201d online sentiments<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> in its immigration decisions.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Together, both immigration-related policies usher in a new era of social media screening. \u201cThe executive branch is really increasing the use of their discretionary authority under national security considerations across agencies,\u201d Henry Lindpere, Manifest Law senior counsel, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/manifestlaw.com\/blog\/immigration\/news\/state-department-social-media-vetting\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>said in a statement<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> Thursday.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The bottom line for HR, according to attorneys, is that recruiters and hiring managers will need to go over visa applicants\u2019 social media pages with a fine-tooth comb.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cFor employers sponsoring H-1B visas or firms that support visa applicants, the expanded vetting means more responsibility for advising applicants about their digital footprint,\u201d law firm Wildes &amp; Weinberg <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wildeslaw.com\/uncategorized\/u-s-expands-social-media-vetting-to-h-1b-h-4-visa-applicants-what-you-need-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>wrote in a blog post<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> reacting to the news.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Now, due to the department\u2019s policy, public content review \u201cbecomes part of compliance awareness,\u201d the law firm said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/h-1b-visa-applicants-will-now-have-their-social-media-scrutinized\/807261\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. 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Dive &#8230; <a title=\"H-1B visa applicants will now have their social media scrutinized\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/h-1b-visa-applicants-will-now-have-their-social-media-scrutinized\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about H-1B visa applicants will now have their social media scrutinized\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[457],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-dive","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33531\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}