A new report has revealed that the United States visa issued to Nigerians and Ghanaians is the highest-ever student visa in history in 2022.
ApplyBoard, a Canadian educational company, disclosed this.
According to the report, more African students were awarded F1 visas in 2022 than ever.
It cited data from the US Department of State.
F1 visa is usually issued to those pursuing an academic programme or seeking a full-time degree at a US institution.
The report noted:
“Nigeria and Ghana will be particularly interesting to watch over the next couple of years — both were issued the most student visas in their histories in 2022.
“As the US grows in popularity among African and Indian students, the short-term trade-off may be slightly lower approval rates. But the long-term benefits could help fast-track the recovery of the US international education sector.”
The Voice of America reports that the number of visas issued to African students in 2022 surpassed 30,700 — an increase from 23,229 recorded in the 2021 fiscal year.
The data also showed that the most visas issued to African students in 2018 stood at 21,037.
Over 411,000 student visas were issued by the US in 2022, a 15 per cent increase from 2021, which had 357,839.
The 2022 figure is estimated to be the highest number of student visas recorded globally since 2017.
