#social-media-screening

#social-media-screening

Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other companies are advising some employees with visas not to travel outside the US because of a new Trump administration policy mandating that consular officers review visa applicants' social-media posts before issuing visas. The extra screening is dragging out processing, and some embassies and consulates are canceling or pushing back visa appointments - in some cases by many months - as the backlog grows.

In a move that some commentators compared to China and others warned would decimate tourism to the US, including the 2026 Fifa World Cup, the Department for Homeland Security said it was planning to apply the rules to visitors from 42 countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia, France, Germany and Japan, if they want to enter the US on the commonly used Esta visa waiver.

"Authoritarian" moves by Donald Trump's administration to ask travellers, including from Ireland, to hand over five years of social media history have been branded "a massive overreach" that would damage relations with the US.

You've spent hours updating your résumé, nailed the interview phase and thought the offer was locked in. Then the silence hits. Here's the thing - the reason may have nothing to do with your skill set - and everything to do with your social media. Employers are no longer just glancing at applications; they're dissecting digital lives. According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers screen candidates' social media before hiring, and more than half have rejected applicants based on what they found.