In a significant move aimed at balancing tougher immigration enforcement with more humane policies, President Joe Biden announced new rules that could positively impact many Nigerian families seeking visas to the United States.
The announcement is particularly beneficial for Nigerians married to U.S. citizens, offering them a streamlined path to citizenship and providing relief to thousands who have been waiting for a chance to regularize their status.
The new rules will not expand eligibility for permanent residency but rather streamline the process for those who already qualify.
That includes removing a requirement they leave the country as part of the application process.
The new rules would apply to those present in the country for at least 10 years and married to a US citizen before June 17, 2024 -- which the administration estimates to include some 500,000 people.
In addition, some 50,000 stepchildren of US citizens would be eligible.
Those approved would be granted work authorization and the right to stay in the United States for up to three years while they apply for permanent residency.
Once someone has permanent residency -- also known as a green card -- that person could in theory later apply for citizenship.
"What we are announcing are potentially streamlined processes... (to) minimize the bureaucracy, minimize the hardship that having to leave the country creates," a senior administration official told reporters ahead of the announcement.
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However, "only Congress can deliver... comprehensive reform of our immigration and asylum laws," another official added.
A previous bipartisan immigration package pushed by Biden in Congress would have introduced the strictest policies in decades, but fell apart when Republicans walked away from the deal.
More recently, Biden signed an executive order shutting down the border to asylum seekers after certain daily limits are hit -- a move that immediately drew criticism from the left and a legal challenge from rights groups.
The administration has defended its asylum order and characterized the congressional push as "the toughest and fairest set of reforms in decades."
Trump, meanwhile, has referred to immigrants as "poisoning the blood of the country" and promised mass deportations of those in the country illegally.
