MOSCOW: United States (US) tech giants Google and Apple are discouraging their employees with work visas from leaving the US, Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported, citing a the Business Insider news portal report that cited internal emails.
Google and Apple are advising some employees with work visas not to travel outside the US due to embassy delays, and external legal counsel for both companies sent emails advising employees who require visa stamps for re-entry to the US not to leave the country because visa processing was taking longer than usual, the publication said.
The delays are due to the introduction of social media verification requirements for certain categories of travellers to the US, it noted.
Last week, NBC reported, citing a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) document, that US authorities planned to request social media data for the past five years from foreign travellers seeking entry into the country. The channel also clarified that CBP would collect applicants’ phone numbers and email addresses used over the past five years, as well as detailed information about immediate family members, including their names, dates of birth, and places of residence.
In November, the Trump administration instructed visa officers to consider diabetes and other chronic conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, and obesity, as grounds for denying visas to the US. According to the Washington Post, the US State Department guidance also directs visa officers to deny applicants entry to the US for several new reasons, including reaching retirement age, having elderly parents, and having dependents with “special needs” or disabilities.
Earlier, the CBP released data showing that the US had conducted a record number of searches of phones and electronic devices of foreigners entering the country over the past year. – BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
