By Hope Ejairu

Nigeria has been ranked 15th in the list of countries that received United States green cards in the year 2023.

The most populous African country stood out as the sole African nation to make the list of 20 countries, with Mexico topping the list.

This was disclosed in data from the Department of Homeland Security in the United States.

According to US immigration, a green card, otherwise known as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) is a non-citizen authorized to live permanently in the country.

Similarly, they can apply for citizenship if they satisfy additional eligibility criteria.

The 2023 lawful permanent residents annual flow report, published by the Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) in September, revealed that about 1,172,910 individuals received permanent resident status.

The report noted that approximately 64 percent were granted LPR status as a result of ‘family-sponsored immigrants’.

However, the majority of the LPRs hailed from Mexico, Cuba, and India respectively.

The report added that Africans account for 9% of new green card holders, totaling 105,520 individuals.

See top 20 countries with most US green cards

Mexico

Cuba

India

Dominican Republic

China, People’s Republic

Philippines

Vietnam

Afghanistan

Brazil

El Salvador

Colombia

Jamaica

Bangladesh

Venezuela

Nigeria

Korea, South

Guatemala

Haiti

Honduras

Peru