American Government excludes Nigeria from visa lottery list

The United States of America (USA) has again excluded  Nigeria from its diversity-visa programme, popularly known as visa lottery, application for 2022,which is a for nationals of certain countries with low rates of immigration to apply for the U.S permanent residence by obtaining the green card.

Penpushing reports that, the Department of State of the country in a 19-page document, disclosed that Nigeria was removed from the diversity lottery list because more than 50,000 of its nationals emigrated to the country in the past five years.

“For DV-2022, persons born in the following countries are not eligible to apply, because more than, 50,000 natives of these countries immigrated to the United States in the previous five years: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong SAR), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam,” the document read.

Penpushing further reports that   the document, however, explained that persons born in Macau SAR and Taiwan are eligible, adding that natives of other African countries are eligible to apply, with the exemption of Nigeria from the continent

“Persons born in the areas administered prior to June 1967 by Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt are chargeable, respectively, to Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt. Persons born in the Gaza Strip are chargeable to Egypt; persons born in the West Bank are chargeable to Jordan; persons born in the Golan Heights are chargeable to Syria”, the document stated

Penpushing also reports that, Nigeria, between 2013 and 2015, was one of the countries that registered the most applicants for the lottery, accounting for nearly a third of applicants in that period,

The America Department of Homeland Security document, recalled that starting in 2015, Nigerian applicants were barred from the lottery programme because of the country’s number of nationals with green cards.

Penpushing reports that data obtained from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shows that the American government  granted residence to 38,895 Nigerians between 2015 and 2019, 11 percent of 355,605 Africans with green cards in the U.S for that period.

The exclusion of Nigeria was not the first time, President Donald Trump had earlier this year halted immigration from Nigerians who were looking to live in the country permanently which is one of the many stern immigration policies Nigeria has suffered thus far.

Penpushing also reports that the  policy received wide condemnation, however, the policy does not apply to non-immigrant, temporary visas for tourist, business, and medical visits,while report has it that the primary reason for the new restrictions, was because Nigeria did not “meet the Department’s stronger security standards.”

The  Acting Homeland Security Secretary, Chad Wolf, however, noted, “the restrictions are not permanent if the country commits to change”, while record also has it that the Department of Home Security(DHS) last month,  announced a proposed policy that will limit the length of time foreign students including Nigerians in America universities can remain in the country to two years, after a failed plan to strip international students of their visas if they are not required to attend some classes in person, during the coronavirus  lockdown, in July

Penpushing further reports that the new rule which seems to be a stricter immigration rule will restrict international students on admission in America universities to a “fixed period of stay”—two years maximum—a departure from the current policy that allows student visa holders to remain in the U.S for “as long as they maintain compliance with the terms of admission.”

The record of the Department of Home Security (DHS), explained that the rule would help prevent visa fraud, protect national security and discourage students from overstaying, while many argue that the diversity-visa programme is politically important as immigrants become good assets to the America