Nigerians seeking opportunities beyond the African continent have discovered new avenues for obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Between 2020 and 2024, Nigeria ranked fourth among countries whose citizens were granted citizenship in the United States.
Data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, released on Monday, indicates that 3,270 individuals born in Nigeria, including service members, were awarded U.S. citizenship. This figure positions Nigeria behind the Philippines (5,630), Jamaica (5,420), and Mexico (3,670).
During the period under review, the United States naturalised over 52,000 military service members across different countries.
“Service members born in the Philippines, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, and Ghana — the top five countries of birth among those naturalised — comprised over 38% of the naturalizations since FY 2020.
“The next five countries of birth — Haiti, China, Cameroon, Vietnam, and South Korea — comprised an additional 16% of military naturalisations from FY 2020 to FY 2024,” the analysis of the data partly read.
The data revealed that the number of Nigerian service members gaining U.S. citizenship has steadily increased over the past five years.
From 340 in 2020, the figure rose to 630 the following year, 680 in 2022, 690 in 2023 and 930 in 2024.
The Army accounted for 60% of all military naturalisations during this period, followed by the Navy (20.4%), Air Force (10.6%), and Marine Corps (6.6%). Less than 1% of naturalised service members served in the Coast Guard.
“Service members from the Army (including National Guard and Reserves) comprised almost two-thirds (60%) of all military naturalisations from FY 2020 to FY 2024. Service members from the Coast Guard comprised less than 1%. The Navy accounted for 20.4%, the Air Force for 10.6%, and the Marine Corps for 6.6%,” the report stated.
Age-wise, half of the service members were between 22 and 30 years old when they naturalised.
“Half of all service members were between 22 and 30 years old when they naturalised. The median age of all service members who naturalised between FY 2020 and FY 2024 was 27. More than 17% were 21 and under, while almost 5% were older than 40,” the analysis revealed.
Regarding gender distribution, 73% of the naturalised service members were men.
“Men comprised 73% of all service members naturalized between FY 2020 and FY 2024. The proportion of female service members slightly increased across the years,” the report added.
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