Nigeria vows retaliation against U.S over social media visa policy
The Nigerian government has announced that it will implement a reciprocal visa policy against the United States. This move is in response to the U.S. now requiring Nigerian visa applicants to provide five years of their social media history.
The U.S. Mission in Nigeria officially announced the new rule on its X account, warning that failing to provide this information could lead to a visa denial or future ineligibility.
The updated policy mandates that applicants disclose all usernames, handles, email addresses, and phone numbers associated with social media and online platforms they have used over the last five years.
“Omitting social media information on your application could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future U.S. visas,” the Mission stated. It added that this measure is part of a wider immigration crackdown under the current U.S. administration.
READ ALSO: Nigerian applicants must share social media handles for 5 years – US Embassy
In a swift reaction, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it would impose similar requirements on American citizens applying for Nigerian visas.
Ministry spokesman Kimiebi Ebienfa said the government was notified about the U.S. policy in advance and would adopt a reciprocal approach, which is a standard practice in global diplomacy. “Anything visa is reciprocal. What you are mandating our nationals to do, we will also mandate your citizens applying for our visa to do,” Ebienfa said.
He further explained that an inter-agency meeting involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) would be held to finalize Nigeria’s official response.
The new U.S. visa rule is part of a series of stricter immigration policies. In recent months, the U.S. has revoked thousands of student visas and introduced new guidelines for naturalisation that consider an applicant’s “good moral character” based on factors beyond criminal records.
READ ALSO: Social media posts could now deny you entry into US – Embassy
In recent years, Nigerians have faced other restrictions, including a U.S. policy that limited non-diplomatic visas to a single entry with a three-month validity. The U.S. State Department has consistently defended these actions as measures to “protect the integrity of U.S. immigration systems.”
Diplomatic experts warn that as Nigeria prepares its response, visa applications for citizens of both countries could become much more complex in the months ahead.
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