Nigerians received the most US green cards in Africa in 2023

Nigerians received 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.

LPRs may apply to become US citizens if they meet certain additional eligibility requirements.

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 said 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 ranked 15 and was the only African nation that made the cut.

California was the most preferred state of residence for immigrants with 205,040 arrivals, the report showed.

Florida ranked second while New York, Texas, and New Jersey were third, fourth, and fifth respectively.

The median age for new LPRs was 35 years.

“New LPR’s who were 65 years of age and older increased 62 percent from 2022,” the report added.

Females were also the most granted green card permit gender, while married applicants received the most in terms of marital status.

According to the US Census Bureau, 13.7 percent of the US population is Black or African American.