The US authorities issue new directives to the candidates seen

The United States government has updated the visa demand requirements, imposing that all candidates disseminate every social media handle they have used in the last five years.

The directive, issued by the US mission in Nigeria, applies to the DS-160 module, the standard application for non-immigrant visas. Candidates must provide user names or handles for all social media platforms with which they commit themselves during that period.

A statement from the United States mission stressed:

“Visa candidates are required to list all the user names or social media handles of each platform that have used the DS-60 Visa application form for the past five years. Once the information on social media could lead to the denial of the visa and the transiuigibility for future visas.”

The measure reflects a global trend on the evaluation of fingerprints in decisions on immigration and safety. Initially introduced in 2019 during the Trump administration, the requirement remains in force under the Biden administration.

The authorities say that the analysis of online activity helps consular agents to evaluate potential safety risks and verify the identity of the candidates.

This announcement comes in the midst of greater control of migratory flows in the United States. In July, the United States revised its visa policy for Nigerian citizens, introducing more rigorous conditions: most of the non -immigrant and non -diplomatic visas are now single and valid for only three months.