The United States has rolled out a new visa policy requiring Nigerian applicants to disclose their social media history and digital activities from the past five years—a move that has drawn sharp reactions from Nigeria’s Federal Government.
Announcing the policy on its official X handle on Monday, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria explained that the measure is part of broader immigration reforms aimed at enhancing national security. Under the new rules, applicants must provide details of all social media accounts used in the last five years, including user IDs, email addresses, handles, usernames, and associated phone numbers.
The Mission warned that incomplete or misleading information could result in visa denial and even future entry bans. Applicants who operated multiple accounts or aliases on a single platform are expected to list every one of them. The policy builds on earlier rules that targeted international students, requiring them to remove privacy restrictions from their social media accounts for security vetting.
Reacting swiftly, the Nigerian government declared it would enforce reciprocal measures on U.S. citizens applying for Nigerian visas, although it has yet to outline what these counter-policies will look like. The announcement reflects a brewing diplomatic standoff between both nations over travel and immigration procedures.
In a related move, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced a stricter “Good Moral Character” guideline for citizenship seekers. The policy requires immigration officers to evaluate applicants not only on criminal records but also on broader aspects of their lives, such as volunteering, civic engagement, educational attainment, stable employment, and compliance with tax obligations.
These changes underscore the U.S. government’s tightening of immigration and citizenship vetting, sparking debates about privacy rights, diplomatic reciprocity, and the wider impact on global mobility.
