It is no longer news to Nigerians that the United States of America's present regime has taken a hostile approach to citizens of Nigeria, applying to visit, study or immigrate to Donald Trump's beautiful country.
First, is the fact that he has demanded why his senior staffs keep allowing citizens from "shithole countries" come into the U.S.A and that was after he discovered that, over 40,000 Nigerians came into the U.S in just the first 5 months of 2018. His staffs mentioned to him that majority of the travelers already have approved visas, you can only assume what President Donald Trump said afterwards.
From that point onwards, it has been operation frustrate Nigerians trying to come into the U.S. visas being canceled upon arrival into the U.S, travellers with an extensive travel history to the U.S now being randomly asked to come in for interview at the Embassy, being seriously grilled and then denied for flimsy to almost baseless reasons. Student visa applications being denied at an astronomical rate and the most recent straw, the immediate suspension of the dropbox visa renewal program in Nigeria. Ladies and gentlemen if you do not see the handwriting on the wall, let me spell or pronounce it out for you, the U.S is saying thank you but keep your money and visits to yourself.
Well it is your turn to say well, I will take my money and vacation somewhere else.
My take, look at Canada. If you can qualify for a tourist visa to the U.S you will most likely qualify for a Canadian visiting visa, if you will qualify for a study visa in the U.S, then you will also probably qualify for a Canadian study visa/permit and you have a path to full Citizenship within a shorter time as a foreign student in Canada, which is almost impossible in the U.S.A. Also note that there is no interview prerequisite for your Visa applications to be approved (it is simply an online process after your biometric is given)
If you are a qualified professional in Nigeria, you might qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker, Express Entry program to bring you and your family into Canada as Permanent Residents, something that the U.S is not currently offering people from "shithole nations". Nigeria is the number one source country of new immigrants of black or Afro origins into Canada, yes more than Jamaica or the Caribbean or other African nations, so you and your children are not going to be alone if and when you come to Canada.
If you are not a professional but have built a substantial amount of wealth and can prove your business track record and also that your wealth was legitimately acquired, then why don't you invest in Canada and also become a Canadian in the process ?
Well the last caveat is that getting a Canadian visa shows the U.S Immigration officers that you are not desperate to be in the U.S and their country is just an option which increases your chance of being approved for a Visa and traveling to the U.S after becoming a Canadian Citizen is Visa free and you can walk in to the U.S with almost zero-hassle.
Well if you are interested in a first world environment, along with inviting and wonderful citizens we advice you to take a very serious look at Canada.
About The Author
Olayinka Ogundipe is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with Arborway Immigration Inc a Canadian Immigration Firm located in the GTA. He is a member in good standing with The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), which is the Canadian government mandated supervisory, licensing and regulatory body for all Canadian Immigration Consultants and also an Ontario appointed Commissioner of Affidavit on Immigration, Citizenship and Refugee matters.You can follow him on Facebook @ArborwayImmigration, Instagram @ArborwayImmigration & LinkedIn @ArborwayImmigration