The United States (US) embassy in Namibia has announced that visa seekers will now be required to make their social media accounts public as part of the application process.

"Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J non-immigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to 'public' to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under US law," the embassy notes in a social media post.

According to the embassy's website, category F and M visas are applicable to academic and vocational students, respectively, while category J visas may apply to professional exchange visitors.

US officials have defended the move, stating that "every visa adjudication is a national security decision."

The new rule will apply to a number of countries including India and South Africa.