Trump’s visa lottery push back hits Ethiopia, DRC, Egypt, harder in Africa
Against the opposition of many African countries and elite to the US visa lottery which seeks to tap African best brains, recent effort by the American president has worsened opportunities for intending Africans wishing to migrate to the US.
Recent reports have shown that Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Ethiopia are the three top African countries to be affected by a move by the United States to cancel the visa lottery regime.
Agency report showed that figures from the Department of State indicates that the three countries had over 2,000 beneficiaries enter the U.S. through the annual lottery program for the year 2016.
The document titled, “Immigrant Number Use for Visa Issuances and Adjustments of Status in the Diversity Immigrant Category,” gave an analysis of DV beneficiaries spanning the years 2007 – 2016.
This program grants visas not on the basis of merit but simply because applicants are randomly selected in an annual lottery and the people put in that lottery are not that country’s finest.
For last year, Egypt’s figure of 2,855 was tops followed by DRC’s 2,778 and Ethiopia’s 2,143. Other African countries that managed to stay in the 1000+ bracket were; Sudan, Liberia, Cameroon, Morocco, Algeria and Kenya.
The report further showed that African beneficiaries topped the continental breakdown with 20,706, Europe followed with 15,207. Asia, South America, Oceania and North America followed with 8,898; 1,370; 532 and 5 respectively.
President Donald Trump in early November said he had asked Congress to terminate the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery which he said presented credible vulnerabilities to U.S. national security.
The decision followed a deadly attack in New York by an Uzbek immigrant Sayfullo Saipov. The 29-year-old is said to have entered the U.S. after success in the DV lottery in 2010. The attack led to the loss of eight lives.
“Following the terrorist attack in New York, I’m calling on Congress to immediately terminate the Diversity Visa Lottery programme. It’s a disaster for our country.
“This program grants visas not on the basis of merit but simply because applicants are randomly selected in an annual lottery and the people put in that lottery are not that country’s finest.
“We know that the program presents significant vulnerabilities to our national security, it’s a very unsafe program for our country,” he added.
Bonny Amadi with agency report
