H-1B applicants get approvals after social media vetting

Some H-1B visa applicants are receiving approvals after strict social media vetting by US consulates in Hyderabad and Chennai. Applicants report being asked to submit public social media handles, with cases briefly marked refused before being approved and issued.

Hyderabad: While the US government’s rescheduling of H-1B visa appointments has left many IT professionals stranded in India for months, a section of applicants has recently begun receiving visa approvals following strict social media vetting.

According to applicants who appeared for interviews at the US Consulates in Hyderabad and Chennai, officials are now asking them to submit all social media handles or links through email and ensure their profiles are set to public view.

---

In an anonymous Facebook post, an applicant who attended an interview in Chennai on December 22 described a swift experience despite the new requirements. Along with routine questions about the company, role and Labour Condition Application, the applicant was asked to disclose any social media accounts not already listed in the DS-160 form.

“I was given a paper to list any additional social media accounts that were not mentioned in the DS-160, after which my case was placed under 221(g) administrative processing for social media vetting. My status was changed to ‘approved’ after the interview and then to ‘issued’ the very next day,” the post said.

A Reddit user, who along with spouse attended an interview for H-1B and H4 visas on December 16 at Hyderabad and received approval, posted that the visa officer asked only one question on who was sponsoring their applications.

“I replied with my employer’s name. After this, I was handed the 221(g) slip as expected. The visa officer explained that extra time was needed to vet social media and that, for now, the visa was refused. I was asked to send an email to the consulate with all our social media handles made public. The visa officer kept the passports. We sent the required email with hyperlinks to the handles and also included screenshots of our public profiles to support the case,” the Reddit user kvik25 posted.

The user added that the CEAC (Consular Electronic Application Center) tracker showed the visa status as ‘refused’ throughout the day. “The status was updated to ‘approved’ on December 17, around 2 pm,” the user said.

Another Reddit user, dev-d28, who got the passport stamped with an H-1B visa after attending an interview at the US Consulate in Chennai on December 18, shared a similar experience. The applicant was questioned about the new social media vetting rules and their position in the company.

“The visa status on the CEAC website showed ‘refused’ on December 18 and ‘approved’ on December 19 in the afternoon. The visa was ‘issued’ on December 22 in the afternoon and the passport with the stamped visa was delivered at home on December 24,” the user added.

Some visa applicants also reported instances of visa officers asking about social media handles created for children. Applicants were advised to list any handles or pages created for their children and mention who manages them.