The Trump administration has allegedly instructed U.S. consular officers to intensify their examination of H-1B visa applicants. According to an internal State Department communication, officers are to deny visas to those involved in “censorship or attempted censorship” of free speech within the United States.

As highlighted by Reuters, this directive, issued to all U.S. missions on December 2, mandates consular officials to scrutinize resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and any public information available on applicants and their accompanying family members. This investigation targets those who have worked in fields such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance, or online safety.

According to the Reuters-referenced cable, if officers discover any involvement in “censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States,” they are instructed to deem the applicant ineligible for a visa.

The new policy from the State Department extends the criteria for visa denial to roles related to speech, including those in fact-checking and content moderation.

Although this directive encompasses all visa types, it specifically emphasizes the need for rigorous assessment of H-1B applicants. This focus is due to their frequent employment in the technology sector, particularly in social media or financial services companies, which might be linked to the suppression of protected speech. These vetting measures apply both to first-time and returning applicants.

Reuters also reported that the cable, not previously disclosed, instructs consular officers: “You must thoroughly explore their employment histories to ensure no participation in such activities.”

A senior State Department official told Fox News Channel’s Gillian Turner, “While we do not comment on allegedly leaked documents, make no mistake, the Administration has made clear that it defends Americans’ freedom of expression against foreigners who wish to censor them. We do not support aliens coming to the United States to work as censors muzzling Americans. In the past, the President himself was the victim of this kind of abuse when social media companies locked his accounts. He does not want other Americans to suffer this way. Allowing foreigners to lead this type of censorship would both insult and injure the American people.”

The move comes as the administration intensifies its criticism of censorship in Europe. Vice President JD Vance responded on Dec. 4 to reports of a potential EU fine against X, posting on his official account: “Rumors swirling that the EU commission will fine X hundreds of millions of dollars for not engaging in censorship. The EU should be supporting free speech, not attacking American companies over garbage.”

Further underscoring the administration’s determination to fight censorship, Undersecretary of State Sarah Rogers posted a video on X responding to a European member of parliament stating she was “revisiting some remarks for which people in Europe and also the U.K. have been investigated or arrested or jailed by their governments over the past few years,” and listed examples from Germany, the U.K. and Sweden.”

The new screening rules target applicants who often work in the tech sector, including in content moderation and online safety roles.

She stated in part, “A German woman notoriously received a harsher jail sentence than a convicted rapist after the woman called the rapist ‘a disgraceful pig.’”

In May, Rubio threatened visa bans for people who censor speech by Americans, including on social media, and suggested the policy could target foreign officials regulating U.S. tech companies. (Reuters)

The administration has already tightened vetting procedures for student visas by instructing officers to screen applicants’ social-media activity for posts hostile to the United States. President Donald Trump also imposed new H-1B fees in September as part of a broader immigration overhaul. The enhanced censorship-related screening represents the latest step in the administration’s effort to tie U.S. visa policy to its free-speech agenda.