A few weeks ago, an African-American woman told me she’s always suspicious of the motives of African men who profess love to her. She says ...
A
few weeks ago, an African-American woman told me she’s always suspicious of the
motives of African men who profess love to her. She says given the unpleasant
experiences of many African-American women in the hands of African men in the
United States, it is often difficult to tell if protestations of love from
African men are real or Green Card-inspired.
She
said many black American women got married to African—mostly Nigerian—men only
to discover down the line that the men married them not out of love but because
they wanted to get marriage-based permanent resident permits (also informally
called Green Card).
After
she narrated the emotional horrors of “Green Card marriages” for black American
women, I said: “So, basically, two years after marriage, Black American women
get African men the Green Card and they get the red card in return!” She found
my quip so hilarious she laughed out loud for minutes on end.
Marriage-based
Green Card is just one of several types of Green Cards that provide paths to American citizenship. The other is employment-based Green Card. Yet another is
the Green Card Lottery. Unfortunately, from next year, the Green Card Lottery,
through which many Africans come to the United States, will be discontinued.
So,
in essence, the Green card (the lottery type, that is,) will be given the red
card soon. This has a lot of implications for African immigration to the United States,
which experienced an uptick from the 1990s to now thanks to the lottery. The
article below by AFP, the French news wire service, provides an excellent background on
this issue. It was written by AFP’s Ivan Couronne and first published on April
30, 2013 with the title “Africans stand to lose as US axes visa lottery.” Enjoy.
WASHINGTON — Africans could be the big losers as the
United States reforms its immigration laws and eliminates the green card
lottery, of which Africans are the main beneficiaries.
Half of the 50,000 residence permits handed out at
random each year are earmarked for Africans. It is a hugely popular program
that has allowed hundreds of thousands of Africans to settle in America since
the mid 1990s.
But the ambitious reform project under debate now in
Washington, which would provide papers for million undocumented immigrants,
contains a clause that would do away with the lottery.
In its place would be a more selective immigration
system based on skills, career an
d family ties.
For years the lottery has been in the crosshairs of
Republicans, who control the House of Representatives and say it adds no value
to the American economy.
"It's clear that there are better ways to
allocate visas than to randomly give them out through a lottery system,"
said Bob Goodlatte, the Republican who leads the House Judiciary Committee.
"Our immigration laws shouldn't be based on the luck of the draw; rather,
they should be designed strategically to benefit our country."
The 'diversity visa,' as it is known formally, is
set aside for people from countries that do not experience a lot of emigration.
So Mexicans, Chinese and Filipinos, for instance, are not eligible. Africans
quickly became the main ones to cash in.
All applicants need is a high school diploma or two
years of work experience.
Between 2010 and 2012, one in five Africans who came
to the United States to stay did so through the lottery. That made it the third
most common method, at 21 percent of the total, after family reunification
(43%) and refugee status or asylum seekers (23%).
By comparison, in the same period only 10 percent of
Europeans who became permanent residents and 3% of Asians did so through the
lottery.
"It has proven to be a way of helping those who
come from the continent of Africa, those who come from a number of other areas
where it is very difficult to get a visa," said Sheila Jackson Lee, a
member of the Congressional Black Caucus, whose members are all Democrats.
But in an effort to preserve the comprehensive
reform being negotiated for months by the two parties, the Democrats and
President Barack Obama agreed to ditch the lottery.
Representative Charles Schumer, who authored the
program in 1990, said it was impossible to keep it.
Schumer said the system that will replace it in 2017
is merit-based and will also give Africans a chance. On average they are more
educated than people from other continents. And English-speaking Africans would
get a boost because of that language skill.
But Michael Fix of the Migration Policy Institute
said, "It really probably won't admit enough people to offset the effects
of the loss of the diversity visa for some years after that. It's a long time
away. It won't be immediately offset by any means."
The diversity visas would vanish starting next year
under the reform being negotiated.
Only four percent of African immigrants -- compared
to 21 percent of Asians and 22 percent of Europeans -- received a green card
for employment reasons in 2012.
The National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People says the number of African immigrants will go down even with the
merit-based system.
"In essence, we're concerned," said Hilary
Shelton, the NAACP Washington bureau director.
Dame Babou, who hosts a radio show that caters to
Senegalese people in New York, said the scrapping of the lottery is
disheartening for Africans.
"Every year many people thought this was going
to be their year," Babou said. "Again, what is being eliminated is
hope."
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