After the U.S. Department of State announced Dec. 3 that foreign skilled workers will be subject to online vetting during visa applications, Georgetown University warned in an immigration policy update that employees may face additional scrutiny and delays in visa appointments.
The university’s website for International Student & Scholar Services posted the update Dec. 5 informing applicants for the H-1B visa, the visa for foreign skilled workers, about the rule change, which will go into effect Dec. 15. Under the new guidelines, all applicants and their dependents must make their social media accounts “public” in preparation for a review of their online presence.
The State Department’s press release did not specify the review’s parameters, but a Dec. 2 cable to U.S. missions obtained by Reuters instructed consular offices to review resumes and LinkedIn profiles for evidence of “censorship,” including working in fact-checking, content moderation, misinformation, disinformation, compliance and online safety.
The update encouraged affected employees to consider potential delays when planning travel.
“Employees sponsored by Georgetown should be aware that visa appointment availability may become more limited due to the additional review required of consular officers, and delays in visa issuance are possible,” the webpage reads. “H-1B visa applicants should take this into consideration when making international travel plans.”
Georgetown international students, faculty and staff have faced increasing difficulty and uncertainty in the visa application process as President Donald Trump’s administration has heightened restrictions on foreign nationals. After Trump banned citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States in June, the university recommended incoming international students from certain countries defer their enrollment and current international community members remain in the United States.
In August, the university advised international community members that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced additional review of “antisemitic terrorism, antisemitic terrorist organizations or other antisemitic activity” and “anti-American views” in non-citizens’ social media presence.
“For students and scholars, this means that your social media presence can be scrutinized when applying for a visa or work authorization (e.g., OPT, STEM OPT, H-1B, etc.), or during border screenings, or in law enforcement encounters,” the Aug. 27 update reads. “The U.S. government can collect social media information on its application forms, and U.S. border officials can access data from personal devices.”
