…Nigerians get 28% of U.S job visas in 2023
Nigerians are mostly concerned about immigration issues as the United States of America votes to elect its 47th president.
BusinessDay’s search on social media and off the online media showed that the majority of Nigerians looked forward to a U.S president with immigration-friendly policies.
While citizens at home seek immigration-friendly policies that will enable them to migrate to the United States, those already in the U.S. told BusinessDay they do not want policies that will upend their stay.
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“I would be willing to move to the United States, but it is important to have a president who will provide the pathway,” said Andrew Yakubu, an Abuja-based bank worker.
James Bassey, who lives and works in Florida, agreed, saying that he expected to have a president who would not reverse migration-friendly policies initiated by previous administrations.
“Immigration is the major concern for Nigerians in Nigeria. Some of us who are here, especially those who are illegal immigrants, are worried,” he said.
Nigerians divided over Trump, Harris
Just like at home, Nigerians in the United States are also divided between Donald Trump, the Republican Party candidate, and Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party candidate.
A Nigerian-American based in Atlanta, who works as a regional manager for a leading agronomic distribution company, said: “As an immigrant, I benefited from policy that provided opportunity for people like me. However, I voted for Kamala, though reluctantly, because she represents more of the same old bureaucratic structure. There are tons of Nigerians voting for Trump for sure. I actually overheard some at a party last weekend. Nigerian-Americans are voting Trump because of the economy.”
Another Nigerian, who works for a multilateral agency in Washington DC, said: “Most Nigerians I know are voting for Kamala, which, kind of, makes sense. Although I met a Nigerian, who just got her US passport recently, that voted for Trump. Talk about ‘closing the door behind you’ after becoming a US citizen.”
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Nigeria constitutes 28.3 percent of Africa’s job visas
Meanwhile, Nigerians constituted 28.3 percent of Africans who obtained permanent residence via employment-based visas to the United States in 2023.
These figures were extrapolated from the 2023 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which indicated that out of 10,460 employment-based visas granted to Africans, 2,960 were issued to Nigerians, representing 28.2 percent.
These figures may increase if Kamala Harris is elected President of the United States and her proposal to create 250,000 green card-eligible employment-based and family visas over the next five years is implemented.
According to Harris, this initiative aims to increase employment-based visas by 13 percent and family-based visas by 7 percent by 2030.
Expanding legal pathways for immigrants
In her September campaign in Arizona, Harris stated that the country does not have to choose between securing the border and making the immigration system more orderly and humane. “We can and we must do both. We need clear, legal pathways for people seeking to come into our country, and we must make our current system work better.”
She has also promised to go further. She vowed that as President she would work to create an earned pathway to citizenship for Americans in the country without authorisation.
“I will work with Congress to create, at long last, a pathway to citizenship for hardworking immigrants who have been here for years, and deserve to have a system that works,” Harris said.
Employment-based visas
Based on information from the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, employment-based visas have various categories – from first preference to fifth preference.
The first-preference visa is issued to noncitizens of extraordinary ability, outstanding professors, researchers, or certain multinational executives or managers. Each occupational category has certain requirements that must be met.
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To be eligible for an employment-based, second preference visa, the applicant must hold an advanced degree or its equivalent, or possess exceptional ability in their field. Categories include skilled workers, professionals and other workers.
Employment-based immigration, third preference EB-3, is for skilled workers, professionals, or others.
The employment-based, fourth preference (EB-4) visa, is for special immigrants, including religious workers, special immigrant juveniles, certain broadcasters, certain retired officers or employees of a G-4 international organisation or NATO-6 civilian employees and their family members, certain employees of the U.S. government abroad and their family members, among others.
The EB-5 Program, fifth preference, allows investors (and their spouses and unmarried children under 21) to apply for lawful permanent residence (green card).
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