One of the things we love most about Automattic is that we hire amazing people from all around the world. However, as a company based in the United States, we must comply with US trade control laws. This compliance involves an additional vetting process for people we hire from certain countries.

We cannot hire or contract with residents of several countries subject to US restrictions. In another group of countries, restrictions are not countrywide, but instead prohibit us from hiring certain listed individuals. Individuals end up on these sanctions lists for human rights violations, terrorism, international narcotics trafficking, and genocide. 

We’ve implemented screening practices when hiring from countries with sanctions lists specific to individuals. These screenings minimize risk while still supporting our efforts to promote a global culture and inclusive environment at Automattic. We group countries by risk level and match our level of screening to the level of risk.

We inform applicants that a screening will be performed before we offer a trial.