The United States Embassy in Nigeria has officially updated its visa vetting process, introducing stricter social media transparency rules for nonimmigrant visa applicants under the F, M, and J categories. The new directive, which takes immediate effect, requires applicants to set all personal social media accounts to public visibility.
This change is designed to enhance national security through improved identity verification, the embassy said in an announcement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) page on Sunday.
Public Social Media Now Required for US F, M, and J Visas
Under the revised policy, all Nigerians applying for:
- F visas (academic students)
- M visas (vocational students)
- J visas (exchange visitors)
must make their personal social media profiles public. This move, the embassy says, will allow consular officers to more accurately assess applicants’ identities and eligibility during the visa adjudication process.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the embassy wrote. “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’ to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States.”
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Background: The 2019 Policy Expansion
This update builds on a 2019 global U.S. visa policy requiring all applicants, immigrant and nonimmigrant, to submit their social media identifiers as part of their application. The 2025 directive goes further by requesting full visibility of social media accounts, rather than just usernames.
Stronger Focus on National Security
The U.S. embassy emphasized that every piece of information, including social media activity, will be used to determine whether an applicant poses any risk to the country.
“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,” the embassy stated.
This change reflects a broader trend in U.S. immigration policy emphasizing national security. Immigration experts note a continued tightening of screening procedures, particularly for international students, exchange programs, and vocational trainees.
Impact on Nigerian Applicants
The update is expected to affect many Nigerian students and professionals applying for educational or training programs in the U.S. Applicants are now advised to:
- Ensure that their social media accounts are set to public
- Avoid deleting content or hiding past activities
- Be truthful and transparent in their online identity
Failure to comply with these new requirements may delay processing or even lead to visa denial, experts warn.
Additional Changes: New Service Provider for US Visa Applications in Nigeria
In a related development, the United States Mission in Nigeria recently announced a new visa service provider to handle appointment scheduling and application support. The transition aims to improve processing efficiency and applicant experience.
The embassy shared the update via its official X account, stating that Nigerians can now apply for visas and book appointments through the new platform. More details about this service provider are expected in the coming weeks.
