Africans and the costs of obtaining visas for international migration

A disquisition on the trends, implications and biases in the policy framework

Bibliographic Data

ID22110652
AuthorsAvitus Agbor (0000-0001-9647-4849, North-West University, corresponding author), Avitus A Agbor (North-West University)
EditorsRichard Meissner (0000-0002-6288-5735, Natal Resources and the Environment, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research National Institute for Science Communication and Information Resources, South Africa)
Year2021
Volume7
Issue1
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCogent Social Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2331-1886 • E-ISSN: 2331-1886
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/23311886.2020.1827526
OpenAlexW3092123057
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited40

Changes in socio-economic dynamics in an increasingly globalized world have triggered a significant increase in migration, especially for individuals from Africa. Voluntary migration comes with numerous costs, both hidden and unhidden. These costs, without doubt, do vary from one individual to another. Taking an evidence-based approach with data collected from the United States’ Department of State, this paper uncovers the expenses shouldered by Africans who seek Non-Immigrant Visas to the United States of America (US or USA). With over 80 categories of Non-Immigrant Visas (NIVs), the paper is narrowed to the most commonly sought NIV: the B1/B2 (business and tourism). This paper reflects on not only the increasing numbers of applications made over the years, and the financial implications these applications have on both the applicants and the national economies wherefrom they are made. Furthermore, it reviews the policies relating to US nationals who seek visas to visit African countries for business or tourism. As observed in the analysis of the evidence (official data), this paper argues that the payment of lower amounts thereof is indicative of a bias and lack of reciprocity in this regard, making migration to the Western world a drainage pipe through which African financial resources are collected

Business · Development economics · Economics · Immigration · International economics · International trade · Payment · Political science · Sociology · Tourism · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Law · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Finance

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access