The United States Mission in Nigeria has introduced a new requirement for student and exchange visa applicants: set social media profiles to public.
This directive affects all individuals applying for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas. These are visa categories for students and exchange visitors heading to the U.S. for academic or cultural programs.
In an official post on Monday, the U.S. Mission announced: “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 policy aims to strengthen security screening and enhance identity verification. Applicants who fail to comply risk having their visa applications denied.
“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 Mission added.
The new measure follows a June 18 announcement from the U.S. Department of State, which described the update as part of a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” process for all student and exchange visitors.
A Privilege, Not a Right
The U.S. authorities were clear: applying for a visa is not a guaranteed entitlement.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the Department of State said. “The United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests.”
The policy, which applies globally, is now active for all Nigerian applicants seeking to study, train, or participate in cultural exchanges in the U.S.
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