US tightens visa rules for Nigerians, scrutinises applicants' social media accounts

The US has announced a new visa rule for Nigerians, requiring all applicants to disclose their social media usernames and handles from the past five years for vetting.

‘‘Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas,’’ the US Embassy in Nigeria said in a statement on X on Monday, adding that 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 Nigerian government has yet to react to the latest visa information from the US.

This directive comes as the US tightens its visa rules and imposes travel restrictions for countries around the world, mainly affecting African countries.

In July, Nigeria urged the Trump administration to reconsider a restriction that limited the validity of temporary-stay visas for Nigerian visitors to three months. That order also affected Cameroon and Ethiopia.