The United States Mission in Nigeria has introduced a new requirement for Nigerians applying for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas, mandating that applicants make their personal social media accounts public for screening purposes.
The policy, aimed at strengthening vetting procedures, is effective immediately.
According to an announcement made via the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the U.S. Mission Nigeria on Monday, all applicants under these visa categories are now required to adjust their social media privacy settings.
“Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their personal social media accounts to ‘public’,” the embassy stated.
The embassy emphasized that this adjustment is part of the vetting process to confirm applicants’ identities and their admissibility to the U.S.
“We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security.”
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.”
The statement highlights that since 2019, the U.S. government has already required applicants to provide social media identifiers as part of both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications.
The latest policy update follows a formal announcement issued by the U.S Department of State on June 18, 2025, confirming expanded digital screening measures for several visa classes, particularly those related to education and cultural exchange programs.
“Since 2019, the United States has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms.”
Additionally, the U.S. reiterated a longstanding principle regarding visa decisions:
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.”
In its statement, the government reaffirmed that being granted a visa is a privilege, not an entitlement, and is subject to discretion based on security vetting outcomes.
