The United States Mission in Nigeria has commenced the screening of social media accounts belonging to Nigerian applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas as part of new vetting procedures aimed at enhancing national security.

“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 announced via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday.

The directive, which takes immediate effect, applies to Nigerians seeking to study or participate in exchange programmes in the United States under the affected visa categories.

According to the US consulate, the move is designed to “facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States.”

“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. Since 2019, the United States has required visa applicants to provide social… pic.twitter.com/2fyC1AMfAC

— U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USinNigeria) July 7, 2025

Reinforcing the national security focus, the embassy added: “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.”

It further stated: “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.

“Since 2019, the United States has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms.”

The updated social media policy follows a June 18, 2025, publication by the US Department of State, which confirmed the government’s intention to expand digital vetting for nonimmigrant visa classifications, including F, M, and J applicants.

The US government reiterated that visa issuance remains a discretionary privilege, not a right. (Channels TV)