US lists Nigeria and 43 Countries subject to 2-Year home residency rule under Exchange Visitor Program

The US State Department has released its Exchange Visitor Skills List by Country, which identifies 44 countries whose residents may be forced to return home for two years after completing an exchange visitor program before applying for some US immigration benefits. The list includes countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands. African countries make up the majority. Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act grants the US Secretary of State the ability to identify certain countries as plainly requiring specified fields of specialized knowledge or abilities. If a persons country of nationality or residence and their field of expertise are both on the Skills List, they must spend two years physically present in their home country after completing their exchange program before becoming eligible for certain immigration benefits, such as permanent residency or specific visa changes. The requirement is not uniform for all exchange visitors from these countries. It is only valid when both the country and the relevant skill field are stated. The State Department emphasizes that each countrys skills list may differ, and nationals are invited to consult the Federal Register website for complete information specific to their own country. Countries subject to a two-year home residencyAccording to the federal government, these are the 44 countries whose nationals are subject to the two-year home residency rule: BelizeBeninBurkina FasoBurma (Myanmar)Cabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonDemocratic Republic of the CongoDjiboutiEcuadorEl SalvadorEritreaEthiopiaFijiThe GambiaGhanaGuatemalaHaitiHondurasJamaicaKenyaKosovoLebanonLiberiaMalawiMaliMauritaniaMozambiqueNepalNicaraguaNigerNigeriaPalestinian Authority (West Bank and Gaza)PhilippinesRwandaSenegalTajikistanTanzaniaTimor-LesteTogoTongaVenezuelaYemenZambia The post US lists Nigeria and 43 Countries subject to 2-Year home residency rule under Exchange Visitor Program appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.