Nigeria has now joined a few African countries, including Kenya and Ghana, in securing more visa approvals for their professionals seeking jobs in the United States.

Work visas for up to 60% of Nigerians were approved by the United States in recent times, reversing a previous pattern of higher rejection rates.

Travel and Tour World, a platform that documents immigration-related developments, reports that in high-wage jobs, the visa approval rate for Nigerians was as high as 75%.

This shows America's desire to continuously absorb highly skilled individuals or executives, notably from Africa.

$100,000 work visa fee

While the visa approval rate for Nigerians seeking jobs in the US has increased, records indicate that fewer American companies were willing to part with $100,000 per foreign employee.

This fee, for the external acquisition of talent, was introduced by President Donald Trump in September 2025, and it is to be paid by the hiring company.

Due to this heightened cost, Travel and Tour World reports that there has been a 43% drop in work visa applications for foreign nationals.

Nigerian citizens, who were already employed by American companies by the time the work visa fee was imposed in September last year, are exempted from the charge.

Brain drain concerns

This makes them highly attractive to American companies, especially those in the science and technical fields.

With more than 300,000 Nigerians working in the US, the West African nation has the highest number of Africans in the American workforce.

While the absorption of Nigerians in the US market may point to an increased trust in their skills, concerns have been raised back at home that it contributes to brain drain, leaving the domestic workforce short of vital skills in science and technology.

Travel and Tour World estimates that the shortage of high-skill professionals in Nigeria could increase by up to 20% in the years ahead.

Kenyans, Ghanaians also highly sought-after

Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe have also witnessed a significant increase in the absorption of their nationals in the American job market in recent years.

The US work-visa approval rates for citizens of these countries are significantly higher than those of other African nations.

Companies that hire Kenyan graduates already in the US, for instance, pay only $215 for their work visas, instead of $100,000, making Kenyans lucrative for American companies.

Engineering, architecture, Information Technology, and research are the primary fields that America seeks to fill using outsourced talent.

'Specialty occupations'

Foreigners employed by American companies are assigned the H-1B visa.

This is a nonimmigrant, employer-sponsored visa that allows US companies to hire foreign professionals in "specialty occupations" requiring highly specialised knowledge and at least a bachelor's degree.

Before President Trump raised the cost of H-1B visa application to $100,000, it cost, on average, around $5,000 per person.