The United States is expanding its vetting process for highly skilled H-1B visa applicants to include more social media checks, as applicants working in fields like misinformation and disinformation will also face enhanced scrutiny.

The US Department of State said Thursday that all H-1B applicants and their dependants must make all their social media profiles public to ensure they “do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests”. The move follows a similar order in July that all student visa applicants must make their social media profiles public.

H-1B visas allow US companies to hire foreign employees with “speciality” knowledge, usually in academia or fields like medicine, technology, finance and engineering. While they are classified as temporary visas, in practice, the H

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