The number of Kenyans moving to the United States grew at the fastest pace in a decade in 2022, signaling growing opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled labor in the world's largest economy.
Data from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), an American liberal think tank, indicates that Kenyan immigrants to the United States in 2022 stood at 168,915, representing a 9.6% jump from the 154,062 recorded in 2021 when global economies were recovering from the pandemic. Covid-19.
The jump was the highest since the 15.9 percent recorded in 2011, when the number reached 102,561 compared to the 88,519 who moved in 2010.
This drift is also the result of a shrinking labor market in the local economy, forcing labor providers to look for job opportunities abroad.
Data from the US Embassy in Nairobi indicates that the third preferred employment visa category (E3), reserved for professionals, skilled and unskilled workers, made up the bulk of issuances in 2022, followed by the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) issued in line with the card lottery program. Annual green.
This increase came despite the embassy suspending visa interview appointments for the better part of 2022 due to high demand and shifting focus in favor of coronavirus-related backlogs.
At that time, the embassy indicated that the earliest available dates for visa appointments would be June of this year.
Last year, the US State Department increased visa fees for some categories by between seven percent and 53 percent, citing the high cost of processing the important travel document.
In the changes, which came into effect on June 17 last year, business and tourist (categories B1/B2s), student (F), and exchange visitor (J) visas rose from $160 (Sh20,560 at current conversion rates) to $185 ( Sh23,772), while temporary worker visas (H, L, O, P, Q and R categories) jumped to $205 (Sh26,342) from $190 (Sh24,415).
Resettlement figures are set to rise further in the wake of a recently unveiled aggressive campaign by the Kenyan government to secure vacant jobs in the diaspora as part of detailed measures geared towards tackling ballooning unemployment in the country.
President William Ruto also described the campaign as one that would boost dollar inflows into the country to help cushion inflationary shocks caused by expensive imports.
The United States has over the years maintained its position as the largest source of remittances to Kenya, accounting for 49 percent of the total inflows of $397.3 million (Sh51.1 billion) remitted last April.