The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced a new requirement for all non-immigrant visa applicants, mandating the disclosure of their social media details from the past five years.
According to a statement issued on Monday, the directive compels applicants to provide usernames or handles for every social media platform they have used within that period.
“Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last 5 years on the DS-160 visa application form,” the embassy stated.
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“Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit.”
The mission further cautioned that failing to include these details could result in a visa denial and could also affect eligibility for future applications.
The DS-160 form, an online document of the US Department of State, is compulsory for most categories of non-immigrant visas.
These include B-1 visas for business, B-2 visas for tourism, student visas such as F and M types, and employment-based visas like the H-1B for specialized fields.
This development follows earlier policies aimed at tightening applicant scrutiny.
For instance, in June, international students were instructed to make their social media profiles publicly accessible for review.
A month earlier, under the Donald Trump administration, scheduling of student visa interviews was suspended as part of broader security measures.
By July, applicants for F, M, and J visas were specifically told to adjust their privacy settings to “public” to enable US officials to carry out unrestricted checks.
American authorities maintain that these measures are designed to enhance national security. However, the policy rollout coincides with Washington’s criticism of countries accused of stifling online freedoms.
In May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that visa restrictions would be placed on foreign officials or governments who censor Americans on social media.
Rubio stressed that freedom of expression is one of the nation’s most valued rights, accusing some foreign authorities of curbing it.
The updated visa requirements, therefore, represent Washington’s ongoing strategy to tighten immigration procedures while ensuring thorough background vetting of applicants.
Commenting on the development earlier this month, Richard Mills, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, clarified that the policy shift is not aimed at punishing Nigerians.
Instead, he said, it seeks to strike a balance between enhancing security and improving service delivery.
