Over 71% Nigerian students denied US visa in 2022 – Report reveals

A study by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration found that in 2022, the United States turned down visa requests from 71% of students from Nigeria and other West African nations.

According to the “Shorelight” report, West Africa had the continent’s highest rate of visa denials in 2022. Central Africa had a refusal rate of 61%, Northern Africa had a rate of 49%, Eastern Africa had a rate of 48%, and Southern Africa had a rate of 16%.

According to the report, Southern Africa has some of the lowest rates of visa refusals worldwide, comparable to those in Europe.

If Southern Africa is left out of the equation, the denial rate for the rest of Africa rises to 57% from a total of 44%.

The alliance of American college and university leaders cites information from MPOWER Financing regarding foreign students who receive financial aid to study in the U.S. S. similar pattern emerged. Of the 3,000 students from Sub-Saharan Africa admitted for graduate studies at a top U.S. S. Despite being accepted and having the necessary funding, only about 60% of students who applied for and were accepted to university in 2022 were given a student visa to the US.

According to the report, this amounted to a 40% denial rate, compared to 30% for students from India and 10% for those from China and Brazil.

MPOWER also reports that first-hand accounts from African students suggest a range of barriers related to the visa interview process, from securing visa interview slots in the first place to having to travel to a second country due to the lack of adequate interview slots in Nigerian cities, and ultimately being held to a higher standard by US. compared to those from other emerging markets, immigration authorities.

Although there have been concerns about fraud, the alliance argued that many students are actually its victims rather than its perpetrators. It claimed that as a result of the high rate of visa denials, African students had reportedly become prey to swindling schemes run by crooks who make fictitious promises to obtain visas.