Overview
- An internal State Department memo directs consular officers to seek visa ineligibility findings for applicants deemed responsible for or complicit in censorship of protected expression in the United States.
- The guidance initially focuses on H‑1B applicants who often work in tech, with reporting indicating the standards can be applied across other visa categories.
- Officers are told to review resumes, LinkedIn profiles and media mentions for roles involving fact‑checking, content moderation, misinformation work, compliance and trust and safety.
- The department separately announced that H‑1B applicants and their dependents must set social media accounts to public so officials can review them.
- A State Department spokesperson declined to validate the leaked memo yet said the administration opposes foreigners coming to the U.S. to act as censors, while First Amendment and trust‑and‑safety experts criticized the policy as conflating moderation with censorship and warned of user‑safety risks.