Nigeria has emerged as one of the top 20 nations worldwide for securing U.S. permanent residency status, commonly known as green cards.
This information comes from a BusinessDay report, based on 2022 statistics from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The data reveals that 12,385 Nigerians were granted permanent residency in the United States during the period under review.
The report highlights Mexico and India as the top contributors to new U.S. permanent residents, with both countries together accounting for 265,784 individuals. This figure represents 26% of the total new permanent residents.
Further analysis of the data shows that globally, 1,018,349 immigrants were granted permanent residency, including 82,117 green cards issued to African nationals.
Nigerians received various classes of permanent residency visas, including 7,529 for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, 818 through family-sponsored preferences, 3,213 through employment-based preferences, 14 via diversity programs, 797 as refugees and asylees, and 14 under other admission categories.
In terms of asylum, 259 Nigerians were granted asylum affirmatively in 2022, a significant rise from just 61 in 2013. Regarding naturalization, 9,545 Nigerians were naturalized in 2013, with the number increasing to 14,438 by 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 the fiscal year 2024.
This decision reflects the growing desire among Nigerians, particularly the youth, to emigrate—a trend often referred to as the “Japa syndrome.”
Beyond the U.S., the Nigerian diaspora population has seen notable growth in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Austria over the past four years, according to available data.
