Nigeria has been ranked among the top 20 countries that received United States permanent residency status visas, known as green cards, in 2022.
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According to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Nigerians received 12,385 green cards, with Mexico and India leading as the top sources of new permanent residents.
The data showed that 1,018,349 immigrants globally received their permanent resident status, including 82,117 green cards issued to African nationals.
Nigerians received green cards through various categories, including family-sponsored preferences, employment-based preferences, and diversity programs.
Concerning asylum, Nigeria saw 259 individuals granted asylum affirmatively in 2022, a significant increase from 61 in 2013. In terms of naturalization, Nigeria had 9,545 naturalized persons in 2013, which rose to 14,438 by 2022.
The US Department of State announced that it has issued all visas in the Employment-Based Fourth Preference (EB-4) category for fiscal year (FY) 2024. “The State Department, working in close collaboration with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is pleased to announce the issuance of all available visas in the Employment-Based Fourth Preference (EB-4) category for fiscal year (FY) 2024.”
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This development comes as a desire to immigrate surges among Nigerians, especially youths, in what is now known as ‘Japa syndrome’. Outside the US, the population of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, and other countries has increased significantly in the last four years, according to available data.
