Nigeria Among Top 20 Countries For U.S. Green Cards

Nigeria has emerged as one of the top 20 countries worldwide in receiving United States permanent residency status, commonly known as green cards.

According to a report by BusinessDay, which cites data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for 2022, a total of 12,385 Nigerians were granted permanent residency in the U.S. during the year.

The report highlights that, while Nigeria ranks high, Mexico and India led the list as the primary sources of new U.S. permanent residents.

Together, these two countries accounted for 265,784 individuals, making up 26% of the total new permanent residents.

Globally, 1,018,349 immigrants received their U.S. permanent residency in 2022, with 82,117 green cards issued to African nationals.

Breaking down the types of permanent residency visas granted to Nigerians, the data shows:
– 7,529 were immediate relatives of U.S. citizens,
– 818 were through family-sponsored preferences,
– 3,213 through employment-based preferences,
– 14 through diversity programs,
– 797 as refugees and asylees, and
– 14 through other broad admission categories.

The data also indicates a rise in asylum grants for Nigerians, with 259 individuals receiving asylum in 2022, up from just 61 in 2013.

Additionally, the number of naturalized Nigerians in the U.S. increased from 9,545 in 2013 to 14,438 in 2022.

In a related development, the U.S. Department of State recently announced that it has issued all available visas in the Employment-Based Fourth Preference (EB-4) category for fiscal year 2024.

This development aligns with the growing trend among Nigerians, particularly the youth, to seek opportunities abroad—a phenomenon often referred to as the “Japa syndrome.”

Beyond the U.S., there has also been a notable increase in the Nigerian population in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Austria over the past four years, according to available data.