US to Increase H-1B Vetting Over Speech ‘Censorship’ Concerns

The Trump administration will increase vetting of applicants for H-1B visas, with a specific instruction to reject anyone who was involved in “censorship” of free speech.

The instructions were outlined in a State Department cable sent to US missions abroad on Dec. 2.

“BE ON THE LOOKOUT: APPLICANTS RESPONSIBLE FOR OR COMPLICIT IN CENSORSHIP OF AMERICANS,” the cable seen by Bloomberg said. Reuters first reported the policy change.

H-1B visas are designed to attract high-skilled workers, and are widely used within the tech industry, including social media companies that the White House has criticized over questions of censorship abroad. The ...