The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced a significant shift in visa policy, requiring all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas to set their social media accounts to public, in what it describes as a move to bolster national security vetting.
The directive, which took immediate effect, was made public via a post on the mission’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday. It applies to students, vocational trainees, and exchange visitors seeking entry into the US under those visa categories.
“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 post read.
The update is part of broader efforts by the US State Department to enhance background checks by scrutinising applicants’ digital footprints. According to the Mission, the new requirement is aimed at verifying identity and eligibility and rooting out any potential security risks before entry is granted.
“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 US national security,” the statement added.
The US government first signalled the policy change in mid-June, when the State Department published new guidance on its website stating that all student and exchange visa applicants would undergo “comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence.”
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the statement noted. “The United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission… do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests.”
The move is likely to raise privacy concerns among international applicants, especially in Nigeria, which accounts for one of the highest numbers of African students in the US. Critics argue that the public exposure of personal social media content may open individuals to unnecessary risks or misinterpretations.
Nonetheless, US officials insist that the measure is necessary and consistent with the government’s long-standing position that entry into the country is “a privilege, not a right.” All applicants, they emphasised, must be able to demonstrate they intend to comply fully with the conditions of their visas.
The F, M, and J visa categories serve tens of thousands of students and professionals globally each year, allowing them to study, train, and participate in cultural exchanges across the United States. With this new requirement, their digital lives will now play a formal role in the path to American campuses and institutions.
