Provide 5-yrs Social Media History Risk Visa Denial, US tells Nigerian Applicants
The United States Department of State has insisted that the provision of a five-year social media history is a mandatory requirement for Nigerians to be considered eligible to be on the United States’ soil.
The US Mission in Nigeria stated this in an X update today, Monday, pointing out that applicants who fail to reveal their five-year social media history stand a chance to be denied Visa at the Embassy.
“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.
“Applicants certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit.
“Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,” the statement read.
This recent visa requirement for Nigerian applicants was prompted by the number of stiff migration and deportation policies by the present administration of Donald Trump since his reassumption of office, on January 20, 2025.
It will be recalled that the US Mission in Nigeria, in July, embarked on the screening of social media accounts of Nigerian applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas to enhance America’s national security.
The Mission expanded the policy on Monday to all categories of visa applicants of Nigerian origin.
Moreso, the US Mission in Nigeria limited non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria to a single-entry with a three-month validity period, in July.
The Mission further stressed that US non-immigrant visas issued before July 8, 2025, would retain their status and validity.
The Mission said the move aligned with the Trump administration’s reciprocal non-immigrant visa policy, impacting several countries, including Nigeria.
According to them, US visa criteria and standards are geared towards protecting the integrity of the US immigration system.
Meanwhile, President Trump swore mass deportation of “criminal aliens” who illegally gained entry into the United States. Already, mass raids have been carried out at homes, schools, workplaces, and shopping centres where undocumented immigrants were picked up and deported to places like India and Guatemala, among others.
Mixed reactions have trailed Trump’s immigration move, with some commending his action while others begrudge it.
Approximately 376,000 Nigerian immigrants lived in the United States as of 2015, according to official sources. Nigeria is the largest source of African immigration to the United States.
The United States is one of the top destinations for migrating Nigerian youths and the middle class in search of greener pastures. Nigerians in America form a bulk of the total diaspora bulge, which contributes more than $20bn annually to Nigeria’s economy, according to the 2023 data from the World Bank.
