No be small matter o! As American companies don spend N3.23bn to sponsor 880 Nigerian professionals for H-1B specialty worker visas for di 2024 fiscal year. This one na based on wetin we gather from di United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, dem sabi how to chop money well well!
According to di gist, dis total na based on di minimum mandatory employer fees wey dey follow each H-1B application, wey dey total about $2,630. No be small change, abeg! If you multiply am by di 880 visas wey dem don issue for Naija, you go see say na $2.31m, wey dey turn to N3.23bn for foreign exchange market as per di rate of N1,396 to dollar as of January 30.
Di law for US immigration gree say employers suppose carry di bulk of di fees wey dey associated with H-1B sponsorship. Dis fees include base filing fee of $780, training fee wey dey range from $750 to $1,500 depending on di size of di company, $500 fraud prevention fee, and $600 asylum programme fee. If dem wan do premium processing, e go cost extra $2,805 sha!
Meanwhile, di Nigerian applicants, no worry, dem just dey pay small fees like di $190 visa application paper wey dem submit to US Embassy, plus medical and travel costs for di consular interview. According to di analysis from Intelpoint, dis one show say di 880 successful Nigerian applicants for H-1B go don use about $167,200 (around N233m) just for visa fees alone. E no include other expenses wey fit come up!
Na wah o! E be like say Naija don lead all African countries with H-1B visa issuances, we don collect 880 out of di roughly 3,300 visas wey dem issue for di continent. Na 26.7% of Africa total share, but sha, make we no forget say our people still dey represent just 0.4% of di total 219,813 H-1B visas wey dey issued globally for FY 2024. No small competition from India wey collect about 150,000 visas, dem dey almost carry di whole pie!
For di list of di top ten countries wey collect H-1B visas, India dey lead, followed by China, Philippines, South Korea, and others. Di total number of H-1B petitions wey US employers file for FY 2024 na 427,091, but only 399,402 get approval. Di visa programme don dey around since 1990, thanks to di Immigration Act wey President George H.W. Bush sign into law!
As e be, before companies fit sponsor any foreign worker, dem must submit Labour Condition Application wey go confirm say dem go dey pay di foreign worker di prevailing wage for di job. Na so di law take dey go! Now, with H-1B status, worker fit stay for three years, and if e like, extend am go six years. But e no dey easy as e dey involve plenty steps!
Wetin dey ginger dis whole visa wahala? Di new $100,000 fee wey President Donald Trump sign in come dey affect employers wey wan sponsor new H-1B workers wey no get valid visas. Na severe wahala for dem o, as e go fit discourage many employers from bringing in di highly educated foreign workers wey dem dey really need!
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