Nigerians got the most US green cards on the African continent in 2023, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.
US immigration law defines a lawful permanent resident (LPR) or “green card” holder as a foreign national who has been granted the status of residing permanently in the country.
According to the 2023 lawful permanent residents annual flow report released by the Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) in September, nearly 1,173,000 persons were granted green cards last year.
The report said majority of the new LPRs (52 percent) were already present in the US when they were granted lawful permanent resident status.
“About 64 percent were granted LPR status based on a family relationship with a U.S. citizen or current LPR,” the report said.
The leading countries of new LPRs by birth were Mexico, Cuba, and India.
The report stated that 418,930 of the total new green card holders were Africans (35.7 percent).
Of the 20 countries featured on the list of the most granted green card permits, Nigeria was 15 and was the only African nation that made the grade.
