The U.S. Mission in Nigeria has mandated that all applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas change the privacy settings of their personal social media accounts to “public” to facilitate more extensive background checks.
The new rule, which was made public on Monday via the Mission’s official X page, takes effect right away for exchange visitors and students planning to visit the US.
“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.
The Mission grants F, M, and J visas to nonimmigrants travelling for educational and cultural exchange.
According to the Mission, the policy will allow for thorough screening to confirm the identities and admissibility of applicants.
“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.
Previous announcement to vet applicsnts’ social media
On June 18, the U.S. Department of State announced a planned update on its website, stating that it would conduct more thorough vetting, which includes examining 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.”
Updated visa interview criteria
The U.S. Embassy introduced new interview criteria for Nigerian visa applicants on April 22.
A DS-160 visa application form with a confirmation barcode that starts with “AA” and ends with two zeroes must be presented by all applicants attending interviews in Abuja and Lagos.
The barcode that was used to make the online appointment for the interview must match.
The embassy emphasised that the non-presentation of matching barcode information would lead to disqualification from the interview and refusal of entry to the consular section.
It was recommended that candidates confirm the alignment at least two weeks prior to their scheduled appointment.
Additionally, the U.S. Embassy made it clear that DS-160 forms that have already been used cannot be reused. If there is a discrepancy, candidates are advised to submit a correction request by logging into their AVITS account no later than ten days prior to the interview.
These modifications are a part of continuous initiatives to decrease administrative errors and expedite visa processing.
