US to deny visas to skilled workers in fact-checking, compliance, online safety roles

The US State Department has instructed consular staff to reject visa applications from certain skilled workers in online safety roles over concerns about compliance with “censoring” Americans’ free speech. According to the internal memo Reuters obtained, which wascirculated on Tuesday, the directive focuses on applicants for H-1B visas forhighly skilled workers, which are frequently used by tech companies and othersectors. “If you uncover evidence an applicant was responsible for,or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression inthe United States, you should pursue a finding that the applicant isineligible,” the memo reads. The memo asked US consular officers to review resumes orLinkedIn profiles of H-1B applicants – and family members who would betravelling with them – to see if they have worked in areas that includeactivities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation,fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others. “You must thoroughly explore their employment histories toensure no participation in such activities,” the document added. The new vetting requirements apply to both new and returningapplicants. A state department spokesperson said the US does not supportaliens coming to work as censors muzzling Americans but refrained fromcommenting on “allegedly leaked documents”. In May, Marco Rubio, secretary of state, said the US wouldimpose a visa restriction policy on foreign nationals who censor Americans onsocial media. Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), Google(owner of YouTube and other services), Microsoft (owner of LinkedIn), X, andSnapchat are all American tech platforms.

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