Of Trump’s migrant visa fees, japa syndrome, by Tunde Abatan
Since he came into office for his second term as the 47th President of the United States on 20 January 2025, he has not left anyone in doubt about his desire to ‘rid’ the United States of America of those he calls strangers who came to benefit from and share in the glory of its development.
Though his attitude towards migrants and illegal migrants is not surprising, given his grandfather was of German origin, President Donald Trump has made the slogan “America for Americans only” a reality, not just a slogan.
From imposing trade tariffs on nations he considered profiting from the US economy (though he reverted some to third-world and African countries), he has pressed forward in accomplishing his goal.
The American Foreign Service has not only increased visiting visa fees to between $190 and $265, but it has also limited visas to a maximum of three months for visitors.
This is obviously part of efforts to reduce both migrant and non-migrant visitors to the ‘God’s own country’.
It is also meant to prevent visitors from coming to work and staying beyond three months at any point in time.
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Hence, the decision last week by the United States Consulate to impose a professional migrant visa fee of $100,000 (about 150 million naira) has not come as a surprise. It should, however, serve as a constant reminder that, at this stage of development, Trump, in his enlightened racist sentiment, believes the time has come for America, a country developed by migrants, both freedom advocates from Europe and slaves brought to work in sugarcane plantations during the slave trade era, to no longer need them to retain America’s glory and its world power status.
Though the practicability of this remains a conjecture, given he only has one term left as President, it remains to be seen.
Yes, many multinationals in America that need cheap labour from Nigeria will pay such vast sums of money to obtain skilled labour. However, such skilled workers often end up being grossly underpaid compared to their American colleagues and do not have the opportunity to fight for their rights, as those rights have already been compromised.
While travelling in search of the ‘Golden Fleece’ is commendable, desperation should be avoided, as many end up compromising their careers, skills, and lives thereafter.
Japa Syndrome:
This brings us to the issue of both skilled and unskilled migrants to America and other European countries from Africa, especially from Nigeria, which has embraced the ‘Japa’ syndrome in the last few years.
According to the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents (NANTA), over 17 million Nigerians travelled abroad between 2023 and 2024 for various reasons.
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This figure includes visits for education, health, and religious purposes. However, according to the body, a significant number of these departures are made up of those partaking in ‘Japa’, a term used for those who travel out and never contemplate returning for a long time.
While, on the positive side, tours to Nigeria can generate $12 million annually for our tourism industry, the reverse is the case as we could only make $4 million, as we travel out more than we receive visitors for tourism to the country.
Aside from a small number who travel for health, leisure, and religious purposes, many of our youths do so with no intention of returning.
But are they truly benefiting from borrowing money for this uncertain golden fleece?
The disturbing aspect of this trend among our professionals is that many have sold their properties to raise funds to ‘Japa’ with their children. Parents who have spent years educating their children also sell their properties to send them overseas with the hope of making life better.
But has life really been positive or rosy for most of them, except for a few?
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What wisdom is there in a parent selling his property, earned over years of labour, only to enable the same children, whom he has laboured for, to ‘Japa’, a decision that today remains a sure uncertainty?
Yes, times are hard for young graduates to find jobs, but if parents or even young professionals can raise between N10 million and N15 million to travel, is it reasonable to leave certainty for uncertainty?
Is N10 million not enough to set up a small-scale business by such parents or middle-aged professionals who are tired of small incomes from their jobs?
Bidemi Adewale (not the real name), a young Nigerian, travelled on a friend’s invitation to Canada six months ago after gathering his savings and borrowing from relatives. However, upon reaching the airport, his friend refused to pick up his call.
After hours, he went to an RCCG church in Toronto for shelter. The church raised $600 for him to travel and search for another friend, as the parish had already hosted many ‘souls’ stranded in the past.
Femi Daniel, a manager in his 40s, also sold his house worth over N50 million in Lagos. Together with his wife and three children, he ‘Japa’d’ to the UK and secured a six-month job in a big retail department store.
But after six months, he couldn’t get his visa renewed. Many like him are now living in refugee camps in several European countries.
Today, he and his children are in asylum in a refugee camp in Ireland, children who once had a home in Nigeria.
Many like this couple, who claimed to take such risks for their children, have ended up putting both their lives and the lives of their children in jeopardy.
What kind of life is it living as a refugee in a foreign country?
While the policies being implemented by Trump and some European countries may be deemed racist, they also have a duty to protect their citizens, who of late have started embracing jobs once considered beneath them, but which are now taken by foreigners.
This should serve as a wake-up call for Nigeria and many African countries to stop capital flight through the stolen money kept in foreign countries. Instead, these funds should be used to establish small or medium-scale industries that can provide employment for the teeming youth.
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A country like Nigeria, with a population of 220 million people, 65% of whom are youths, now has enough mineral resources to tap into and provide jobs, ultimately addressing the reasons why youths are so desperate to embrace the ‘Japa’ syndrome.
There must be conscious efforts by governments at all levels to address gaps in our education system and create employment opportunities. Technology has now opened a window for the discovery of new talents, and governments should use this opportunity to foster growth.
Strict immigration policies in foreign countries should be seen as an avenue to redirect our developmental focus and tap into the abundant natural resources which foreign countries have come here to exploit, while creating jobs in their own countries.
Every importation of finished goods and equipment is creating jobs for foreign countries.
In spite of any shortcomings, the birth of Dangote Group and others like him, tapping into our solid minerals to save on cement imports and finished petroleum products, is a deliberate effort to improve our GDP, reduce our imports, and ultimately improve our foreign reserves.
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