₦airaland Forum

US Embassy Mandates Nigerian Visa Applicants To Remove Social Media Privacy To Enable Background Checks


The United States Mission in Nigeria has made it mandatory that all those seeking F, M, and J non-immigrant visas must adjust their personal social media accounts’ privacy settings to “public” to enable more thorough background checks.

The new directive, announced on Monday through the Mission’s official X page, is effective immediately for students and exchange visitors intending to travel to the United States.

“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.

F, M, and J visas are issued to nonimmigrant individuals travelling for educational and cultural exchange purposes.

The Mission explained that the policy will enable comprehensive screening to verify applicants’ identities and admissibility.

“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 post said.

Earlier on 18 June 2025, the US Department of State published the planned update on its website, stating that it would carry out more extensive vetting, including applicants’ online presence.

“We will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications,” the statement read.

“To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public.’”

The statement added, “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.

“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 and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission.”

[color=orange]SaharaReporters[/color]

The new directive, announced on Monday through the Mission’s official X page, is effective immediately for students and exchange visitors intending to travel to the United States.

We at our great party ADC advises the US embassy to screen applicants with honesty devoid of racial profiling.

Noted.

To whom it concerned.

US Embassy Mandates Nigerian Visa Applicants To Remove Social Media Privacy To Enable Background Checks.

Lol there's Freedom of Speech Freedom after speech isn't guaranteed....


So before you come online and start capping first reboot ur brain....

What if you claim you have no social media account? Is it mandatory to own one?

this is getting more serious .... yes, we need same measure to their citizens as well.

Simple solution

Don't have any social media accounts

The ones already opened, close them.

There's no law that says you must have SM account.
Only email is what is necessary

Just know social media verification doesn’t mean you aren’t insulting US alone…
It marks every political insults both national or international

And for those of you supporting Hamas and justice for Palestine people, just know you will never get visa..


And for even being a Muslim, you are under further scrutiny… because na una carry Palestine and Iran for head pass yet una wan go America…

Why do you hate america and love Iran and Islamic countries and still want to go to america ? Which kind juju be that?

And if you think you can delete those posts before you go for visa interview, just dey play with US technology, dem go still catch you..

This one sweet me walahi

Won’t be surprised if they ask for their Nairaland user handles too. Know what you post on Social media. It can make or mar you.

Hmmmm

America with wahala na 5 & 6…
Make Una do fast answer me sha

Well if Nigeria government was able to use our own resources to develop the country, all this insult would have been avoided.....

Ghen ghen, it's about to go down low, all those persons supporting rubbish online will soon start having their visas denied. Say no to bad government and support.

Azmanaty:
What if you claim you have no social media account? Is it mandatory to own one?

That's a even worse red flag, more scrutiny will happen

They dont really need that settings na. They already have access to everything

If you know you supported Iran
If you know you supported Russia

Don't even bother.

Good very very good.



God bless America


God bless Donald Chibuikem Trump

It's very, very important to avoid importing misguided fellows who want socialism and are against Western civilisation.

They hate Western civilisation because it's based on Christian theology and want it overturned. The same reason some Westerners hate Russia.

Difrent:
Simple solution

Don't have any social media accounts

The ones already opened, close them.

There's no law that says you must have SM account.
Only email is what is necessary

Some people that SM is their cocaine. You just want them to die. By year ending we will start hearing stories that touch.

Yes, if you criticize the emperor you will not be allowed in.

I love this. Trump got this one right. Kudos to him..lol

miketayo:
That's a even worse red flag, more scrutiny will happen

And how will they be able to link an account to me if I insist it's not mine? After all we know people who use other people's profiles (names, pictures etc) to open and run an account. I don't think that policy will fly.

The only thing they can do is to relax that policy, and mandate travellers to hand in their phones at the Point of entry. If they scrutinize your phone and see things they don't like, then the person should be denied entry and deported. They do this in most western countries

These are people that abuse China and DPRK .

They're also passing anti-Semites law.

You know the kind of authoritarianism before going those route ?

Must you go to the US? Can't you try Singapore, Bangladesh, China and Egypt so you can follow Mr Peter Obi example

Azmanaty:
What if you claim you have no social media account? Is it mandatory to own one?

No, but then you're suspicious. And the embassy can refuse your visa application on the basis that you're suspicious.

Omoawoke:
Just know social media verification doesn’t mean you aren’t insulting US alone…
It marks every political insults both national or international

And for those of you supporting Hamas and justice for Palestine people, just know you will never get visa..


And for even being a Muslim, you are under further scrutiny… because na una carry Palestine and Iran for head pass yet una wan go America…

Why do you hate america and love Iran and Islamic countries and still want to go to america ? Which kind juju be that?

And if you think you can delete those posts before you go for visa interview, just dey play with US technology, dem go still catch you..

This one sweet me walahi

U said it all. I keep wo during why Muslims lovers of Iran and peering don't want to visit Iran a fellow Muslim country were dey can practise Islam with out restrictions?

Y do dey prefer US ? U love Iran but not to visit U hate US but want to visit. Haba

Difrent:
Simple solution

Don't have any social media accounts

The ones already opened, close them.

There's no law that says you must have SM account.
Only email is what is necessary

And there is no law that says that USA must let you enter their country. It goes both ways.

LadyExcellency:
It's very, very important to avoid importing misguided fellows who want socialism and are against Western civilisation.

They hate Western civilisation because it's based on Christian theology and want it overturned. The same reason some Westerners hate Russia.

Who are the socialists? The south American immigrants or even some Canadians who are being herded into immigration detention centers?
Why are Africans so blinded by religion? The current US president is a tyrant, pure and simple.

Make America Great Again. Terrorist sympathisers are not going anywhere. Stay in your country if you want to support terrorism, if they don't keep their country safe you won't find it worthy to visit. The United States does not negotiate with terrorist. It is simple.

LOL at some of you. And it's a testament that we don't know how the world works.

Listen........

You don't have to be for Palestine or Iran to earn Western antagonism. White people just want you to be dependent, they hate independence outside the borders of Europe and America, and if you go contrary to dependency, you'll face attack from them.

Just talk about Africa and the need to do things for and by ourselves. Then, you'll earn Western antagonism towards you.

I've been monitored by the CIA and the British secret service since 2012 as soon as I created my blog www.africason.com and began spilling historical information they don't like to be spilled. Example; the latest article on my blog is: the machine gun and the Berlin conference. It's about how the West invented the automatic machine gun specifically to kill Africans.

Do you think they'll want you an African to know that information? Do you think they'll give me visa? Of course, they won't. And it's not because I am for Palestine or Iran.

If you don't believe me, just post "I love President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso." Post it on your Facebook or Twitter before going for your visa interview, and I can assure you that's enough for you to be denied a European or US visa.

Kwame Nkrumah was hated by the West. Patrice Lumumba was hated by the West. Ghadaffi was hated by the West, etc, etc. All of them faced Western antagonism just by standing for Africa.

This is actually true for almost every territory. The endgame is to deny you a visa if you’ve ever criticized US foreign policy, especially regarding the actions of the State of Israel. This looks like what a dying empire does, not “democracy.”