Washington seeking Nigerians, others to take up 140K skilled jobs yearly
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
There is a shortage of skilled workers in the United States as in Canada, the United Kingdom, and other developed economies. The lack is acute in the US because of its larger economy, to the point 65,000 immigrant visas were not taken up in 2021.
The US is asking for immigrants from Nigeria and other parts of the world to help fill job vacancies.
Every year, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reserves 140,000 visas for foreign workers to immigrate, based on their job skills, and encourages them to come with their spouses and children.
This preference is for “professionals, skilled workers, and other workers,” those with “advanced degrees” or with “extraordinary ability in the sciences the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; outstanding professors or researchers.”
America has again renewed its invitation to eligible persons to apply for the employment-based immigrant visas. It said 65,000 immigrant visa allotments remained unused at the end of 2021, and as such, it has taken steps to avoid a repeat.
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Eligible categories
The five categories eligible for the visa include persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics and “members of the professions holding advanced degrees.”
Others are special immigrants and business investors who can “invest $1.8 million or $900,000” in the US.
“An unusually high number of employment-based immigrant visa numbers were available in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021,” the notice said, per reporting by TheCable.
“Despite pandemic-related capacity restrictions, USCIS was able to increase processing and approve more than 175,000 employment-based adjustment of status applications.
“While this was an increase of more than 50% above our typical workload, 65,000 available employment-based visa numbers remained unused at the end of FY 2021.
“Permanent worker visa preference categories: This preference is reserved for persons of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics; outstanding professors or researchers; and multinational executives and managers.
“This preference is reserved for persons who are members of the professions holding advanced degrees or for persons with exceptional ability in the arts, sciences, or business.
“This preference is reserved for professionals, skilled workers, and other workers.
“This preference is reserved for ‘special immigrants,’ which include certain religious workers, employees of U.S. foreign service posts, retired employees of international organizations, noncitizen minors who are wards of courts in the United States, and other classes of noncitizens.
“This preference is reserved for business investors who invest $1.8 million or $900,000 (if the investment is made in a targeted employment area) in a new commercial enterprise that employs at least 10 full-time U.S. workers.”
You can apply for the employment-based immigrant visa here.
