US Excludes Nigeria From Visa Lottery Eligible List

The US Department of State — Bureau of Consular Affairs has included Nigeria in its list of ineligible countries to apply for the 2022 Visa Lottery. 

A United States (US) federal judge had in September ordered the Donald Trump-led administration to resume issuing diversity visas for immigrants from underrepresented countries, partially reversing a pandemic-related freeze on a wide range of immigrant and temporary visas.

However, in a document released by the US Department of State, titled: “INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE 2022 DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM (DV-2022)”, Nigeria was delisted because 50,000 citizens of Nigeria immigrated to the United States in the previous five years.

The 19-page document reads in part: “The Department of State annually administers the statutorily-created Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants” from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.

“For Fiscal Year 2022, up to 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) will be available. There is no cost to register for the DV program.

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“Applicants who are selected in the program (selectees) must meet simple but strict eligibility requirements to qualify for a diversity visa.

“The Department of State determines selectees through a randomized computer drawing. The Department of State distributes diversity visas among six geographic regions, and no single country may receive more than seven per cent of the available DVs in any one year”.

Other countries affected by the 50,000 citizens cap include: “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”.