Kathmandu – The United States may deny visas to government officials involved in Nepal’s plan to restrict unregistered social media platforms. The risk stems from Washington’s newly announced visa restriction policy targeting foreign officials responsible for censorship of online content.

On May 28, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States would refuse visas to foreign nationals who enforce censorship on expressions that are considered protected under American standards of free speech.

The Oli-led Cabinet recently decided that social media platforms failing to register with Nepal’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology will gradually be disabled after a seven-day deadline. The grace period is set to expire this Wednesday. However, major tech giants including Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp), X (Twitter), Google (YouTube), Microsoft (LinkedIn), and Discord have not responded to Nepal’s registration call.

Communication and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung has been particularly critical of Meta, accusing the company of breaking verbal commitments and ignoring Nepal’s official requests for cooperation. He has repeatedly stated that “Meta is not bigger than Nepal’s Constitution” while urging compliance with the registration process.

The U.S. government interprets attempts to block or heavily regulate social media platforms as censorship with global implications. Under the new policy, visa bans could extend beyond the prime minister and cabinet ministers to include the Cabinet Secretary, senior officials in the Ministry of Communication, and employees of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) tasked with directing telecom and internet service providers to enforce restrictions.

If implemented, the U.S. policy could place Nepali decision-makers under significant diplomatic pressure, straining Kathmandu’s relationship with Washington at a sensitive political moment.