Is This Press Release Announcing the Issuance of American Work E-visas and Residence Permits Genuine?

By Naomi Wanjiku

This press release claims that United States president, Joe Biden, signed an executive order allowing certain Kenyan professionals to apply for American work e-visas and residence permits.

The press release claims that the US government will allow 20,000 Kenyans between the ages of 25 and 55 years to apply.

The professionals needed include; health workers, engineers, marine workers, civil servants, business administrators, accountants, lecturers, and special skills workers.

Successful applicants are required to pay $250 for the English proficiency test which should be taken upon arrival in America, before assuming any official duty. However, the applicants’ children who are below 16 years of age are not expected to pay the fee.

“Children of applicants below the age of 16 are not required to make this payment, however, couples are bound to make payment as principal applicants,” the press statement says in part.

The applicants are also required to pay an application review fee if the consular section demands it.

“Applicants must go about their application themselves without involving any third parties such as travel agents, family members living in the United States, or any other delegates,” the statement stipulates.

Verification

Though the Facebook account that has posted the press release goes by the name “American Immigration Service”, that’s not the name that the US government calls its immigration department. The division that handles immigration issues in the US goes by the name “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)”.

And unlike the “American Immigration Service” Facebook page, the “USCIS” Facebook page is verified.

acebook page transparency shows that the “American Immigration Service” page was created on 11 June, 2021. The USCIS Facebook page, on the other hand, was created on 7 June, 2011.

A review of the USCIS Facebook page and website shows no proof of such a press release. President Biden and the US White House have not made any announcement regarding American work e-visas and residence permits for Kenyan citizens.

The US Embassy Nairobi has dismissed the press release as a fake document and instructed Kenyans to always visit their website for any immigration news.

“This document is fake and was not produced by the U.S. government. For authentic U.S. immigration information, please always consult the U.S. Embassy’s website,” the US Embassy Nairobi wrote on their Twitter page in response to a concerned Twitter user.

Another pointer that the press release is fake is the fact that it refers to Kenya as ‘the Federal Republic of Kenya’ which is wrong as Kenya is officially known as ‘the Republic of Kenya’ or ‘Jamhuri Ya Kenya’.

Verdict

PesaCheck has looked into a press release claiming that United States president, Joe Biden, has signed an executive order allowing certain Kenyan professionals to apply for American work e-visas and residence permits and finds it to be FAKE.