The United States Mission in Nigeria has begun screening the social media accounts of Nigerian applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas, as part of new security vetting procedures.

In an announcement posted via its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, the embassy stated:

“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 new directive, which takes immediate effect, applies to Nigerians intending to study or participate in exchange programmes in the US under the affected visa categories.

According to the consulate, the initiative aims to “facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States”.

Reiterating the national security objective, the embassy noted: “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.”

It added that all available information is used in visa screening to identify applicants who may be inadmissible or pose a threat to US national security.

The embassy also recalled that since 2019, US visa applicants have been required to provide social media identifiers as part of their application process.

The updated screening policy follows a 18 June 2025 publication by the US Department of State outlining plans to expand digital vetting for nonimmigrant visa categories, including F, M, and J classifications.

The US government emphasised that visa issuance remains a discretionary privilege, not a right.