Nigeria is among the top 20 countries worldwide whose citizens received United States permanent residency visas, also known as green cards.
This information is based on a report by BusinessDay, citing 2022 data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
According to the data, 12,385 Nigerians were granted permanent residency to migrate to the United States during the specified period.
The report highlighted Mexico and India as the top countries for new U.S. permanent residents, with a combined total of 265,784 individuals, accounting for 26% of all new permanent residents.
Further analysis shows that globally, 1,018,349 people received their U.S. permanent residency in 2022, including 82,117 green cards issued to nationals from African countries.
For Nigerians, the categories of green cards issued included 7,529 for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, 818 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.
Regarding asylum, 259 Nigerians were granted asylum affirmatively in 2022, a significant rise from 61 in 2013.
In terms of naturalization, the number of Nigerians becoming U.S. citizens increased from 9,545 in 2013 to 14,438 in 2022.
In related news, the U.S. Department of State announced on Thursday that it had issued all available visas in the Employment-Based Fourth Preference (EB-4) category for the fiscal year 2024. The department, in collaboration with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, confirmed the completion of these issuances.
This trend reflects a growing desire among Nigerians, especially young people, to emigrate—a phenomenon often referred to as the ‘Japa syndrome.’
Outside the U.S., the Nigerian population has also grown significantly in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Austria over the past four years, according to available data.
