The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced a new requirement for all applicants seeking F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas: their personal social media accounts must now be set to public.
F, M, and J visa categories are issued by the US government to individuals travelling for academic and cultural exchange programs. This includes students, vocational trainees, and research scholars.
The mission explained that the change is part of an expanded vetting process aimed at enhancing security and verifying applicant identities. “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,’” it said.
The US Mission stated that the new rule would assist in gathering more complete information during visa adjudications. “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 statement read.
Officials emphasized that this move aligns with existing efforts to tighten scrutiny over foreign nationals entering the country. The requirement is expected to affect thousands of Nigerian students and exchange visitors annually.
This update follows an earlier announcement by the US Department of State, which published the change on its website on June 18, 2025. At the time, the department noted that “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.
” It reiterated that the policy shift is necessary to reinforce the country’s national security framework. Applicants are now required to ensure all social media accounts are viewable to the public as part of their screening process.
The department stressed that receiving a visa is not a right but a privilege, and the vetting process is a critical component of protecting national interests. “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the statement added.
“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.” All applicants must also show that they genuinely intend to engage in the academic or cultural activities tied to their visa classification.
