4,459 Kenyans seek greener pastures in US

US Green Card application form. [Getty Images]

The number of Kenyans migrating to the United States (US) under the green card initiative is set to rise this year amid a worsening economic crisis that has resulted in diminishing job opportunities.

According to a US State Department bulletin, Kenyans were allocated 4,459 permanent visas under the DV-2025 Diversity Visa Lottery programme.

The US plans to issue 55,000 green card visas for fiscal year 2025.

This is an increase from the 3,760 Kenyans who won a chance to migrate to the US in the Diversity Visa 2024 (Green Card) lottery.

“Selectees who do not receive visas or status by September 30, 2025, will derive no further benefit from their DV-2025 registration. Similarly, spouses and children accompanying or following to join DV-2025 principal applicants are only entitled to derivative DV status until September 30, 2025,” it says.

The permanent residency programme has been attractive to skilled Kenyans seeking greener pastures over the years amid the worsening situation back home.

According to the International Organisation on Migration, the US has the highest number of Kenyan migrants (157,000) followed by the United Kingdom (139,000).

Bloomberg survey

Every year, 55,000 visas are available for global citizens to move to the US. The results for the DV-2025 lottery were made available on May 4.

A Bloomberg survey in 2023 revealed that Kenyan immigrants working in the US are the third most diligent foreign workers.

According to the Federation of Kenya Employers, the youth (15–34-year-olds), who form 35 per cent of the Kenyan population, have the highest unemployment rate of 67 per cent.

It notes that over one million young people enter the labour market annually without any skills, some having either dropped out of school or completed school and not enrolled in any college.

A large section of Kenyans in the US hold bachelor’s degrees and advanced degrees than the US population overall with over a quarter being in the nursing population.

While there have been concerns over brain drain, the Kenyan economy has gained immensely from the exported labour in the form of remittances from abroad which surpass earnings from agricultural exports and tourism.

The government has embarked on an aggressive campaign to secure jobs for Kenyans abroad.

The US accounts for 50 per cent of remittances, followed closely by countries in the Middle East.