US Lists 44 Countries Subject to 2-Year Home Residency Rule Under Exchange Visitor Program

The US State Department has released its Exchange Visitor Skills List by Country, which identifies 44 countries whose residents may be forced to return home for two years after completing an exchange visitor program before applying for some US immigration benefits.

The list includes countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands. African countries make up the majority.

Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act grants the US Secretary of State the ability to identify certain countries as plainly requiring specified fields of specialized knowledge or abilities.

If a person’s country of nationality or residence and their field of expertise are both on the Skills List, they must spend two years physically present in their home country after completing their exchange program before becoming eligible for certain immigration benefits, such as permanent residency or specific visa changes.

The requirement is not uniform for all exchange visitors from these countries. It is only valid when both the country and the relevant skill field are stated.

The State Department emphasizes that each country’s skills list may differ, and nationals are invited to consult the Federal Register website for complete information specific to their own country.

According to the federal government, these are the 44 countries whose nationals are subject to the two-year home residency rule.

1. Belize
2. Benin
3. Burkina Faso
4. Burma (Myanmar)
5. Cabo Verde
6. Cambodia
7. Cameroon
8. Democratic Republic of the Congo
9. Djibouti
10. Ecuador
11. El Salvador
12. Eritrea
13. Ethiopia
14. Fiji
15. The Gambia
16. Ghana
17. Guatemala
18. Haiti
19. Honduras
20. Jamaica
21. Kenya
22. Kosovo
23. Lebanon
24. Liberia
25. Malawi
26. Mali
27. Mauritania
28. Mozambique
29. Nepal
30. Nicaragua
31. Niger
32. Nigeria
33. Palestinian Authority (West Bank and Gaza)
34. Philippines
35. Rwanda
36. Senegal
37. Tajikistan
38. Tanzania
39. Timor-Leste
40. Togo
41. Tonga
42. Venezuela
43. Yemen
44. Zambia

The paper is especially relevant for Nigerians and other African citizens participating in exchange programs in the United States under the J-1 visa category, which is often utilized by academics, scholars, and professionals.