In a key step towards reconciling stronger immigration enforcement with more humane policies, President Joe Biden announced new guidelines that could benefit many Nigerian families seeking visas to the United States.
The announcement is especially helpful to Nigerians married to US citizens, since it provides them with a shortened road to citizenship while also providing relief to those who have been waiting for a chance to regularise their status.
The new criteria will not increase eligibility for permanent residency, but would instead streamline the process for those who already qualify. This includes removing the necessity that they leave the country as part of the application procedure.
The new criteria would apply to anyone who have been in the nation for at least ten years and married a US citizen before June 17, 2024, which the administration expects to be approximately 500,000 people. In addition, approximately 50,000 stepchildren of US citizens would be eligible.
Those who are approved will be awarded work authorization and the right to stay in the United States for up to three years while applying for permanent status. Once someone acquires permanent residency, often known as a green card, they can theoretically seek for citizenship.
“We are announcing potentially streamlined processes to minimise bureaucracy and hardship associated with leaving the country,” a senior administration official told reporters ahead of the event.
Another official stated that only Congress can bring about meaningful reforms to immigration and asylum rules. Biden’s previous bipartisan immigration bill in Congress would have implemented the strongest laws in decades, but it broke apart when Republicans backed away from the agreement.
More recently, Biden signed an executive order closing the border to asylum seekers when specific daily limitations were reached, which attracted quick criticism from the left and a legal challenge from rights organisations.
Immigration
The administration has defended the asylum decision and described the congressional campaign as “the toughest and fairest set of reforms in decades.” Meanwhile, Trump has referred to immigrants as “poisoning the blood of the country” and vowed mass deportations of those in the country illegally.
