During our first trip to East Africa in February 2025, my husband and I stopped in Tanzania before continuing on to Rwanda. There, a man shared something with us that has stayed with me ever since. "In Africa,” he said with a big smile, "we dream of going three places: Canada, the United States, and heaven!”

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I chuckled – kind of a nervous laugh, to be honest – because the truth behind those words was unmistakable.

For generations, America has occupied an almost mythical place in many people’s collective imagination: a land where hard work is thought to be rewarded, where opportunity seems to flow like water, and where a better life supposedly awaits anyone brave enough to pursue it.

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Last week, that dream – as idealized as it may be – got significantly harder to reach.

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department announced it would suspend immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, among other African nations. The suspension, which takes effect January 21, applies to immigrant visas, those for permanent residency, employment-based immigration, and family reunification. Tourist and student visas are not affected for now, though the policy climate remains uncertain.

As an African American, and a lifelong resident of the United States, I will not pretend this news doesn’t sting. Policies like this send a painful message about who is welcome in the U.S. and who is not. And clearly, the Trump administration has made no secret of its desire to restrict the flow of Black and Brown people into America’s borders.

African countries are the ones most impacted by this recent action, with 39 nations on the continent banned. The net effect of the new policy is that nearly 90 percent of African immigrant visa applicants will be banned, according to the Cato Institute.

But as someone who writes about money and financial empowerment, I want to focus on what you can control: your finances, your plans, and your future.

New opportunities

If you or your family have been saving money toward a U.S. immigration plan, this is a moment to pause and reassess; not to abandon your dreams, but to redirect them.

The money you have been setting aside represents real sacrifice. It deserves to be invested wisely, not left sitting while you wait for a political situation that may not change for years.

So here is what I would encourage you to consider:

Consider investing at home

Rwanda ranks as Africa’s most business-friendly economy, according to the World Bank’s B-READY 2025 report.

There are real opportunities here: in savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs), in small businesses registered through RDB, in real estate, in the growing tech sector, tourism, and more.

The same entrepreneurial spirit that would have served you well in America can build something meaningful right here in Rwanda. Economic self-reliance is not a consolation prize. It’s a path to genuine wealth.

Protect the family finances that depend on you

In 2024, the Rwandan diaspora sent home $502 million in remittances. That money supports school fees, medical bills, and daily survival for thousands of families. If your plan was to immigrate to America and then send money back, you need a backup plan.

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Build an emergency fund that can sustain your family for three to six months. Diversify income sources where possible. Do not let one closed door leave your loved ones vulnerable.

Don’t become a victim of financial predators

Whenever immigration policy tightens, scammers emerge. Be especially wary of online solicitations and people who promise secret pathways, so-called "guaranteed visas,” and special connections. They will just take your money and disappear.

A swindler preys upon desperation. If someone offers you a deal that sounds too good to be true, it is. Protect what you have worked so hard to save.

Explore alternative destinations

Canada continues to actively recruit skilled workers from Africa through its Express Entry system. The United Kingdom, Germany, and the Gulf states also offer pathways for Rwandans seeking opportunities abroad.

If your goal is to build wealth in an economy where a job and currency differences allow you to send money home, America is not the only option, even if it has felt like the only option worth wanting.

A different kind of dream

I want to be clear: I am not telling you to stop dreaming big or to lower your expectations for your life.

What I am saying is that America is not heaven. It is a country with its own many problems, its own injustices, its own struggles. The streets are not paved with gold. Many immigrants who manage to arrive there work brutally hard for years before achieving stability, and some never do.

Meanwhile, Rwanda is on the rise. Vision 2050 is not just a slogan. Your mobile money infrastructure ranks among the best in Africa. Foreign investment reached $573 million last year. Young Rwandans are building tech companies, launching creative enterprises, and finding success without ever boarding a plane.

Does this mean everything is perfect here? Of course not. But the question I want you to ask yourself is this: What could I build with the money, time, and energy I was planning to spend chasing America?

That man in Tanzania listed three destinations: Canada, the United States, and heaven. Two of those are places on a map. One is a state of being.

Perhaps the real dream was never about geography at all. Perhaps it was always about dignity, security, and the ability to provide for the people we love.

Those things can be built anywhere – including where you’re standing right now.

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox is a personal finance expert, speaker, and author of 16 books including the New York Times bestseller "Zero Debt.” She and her husband Earl Cox are expanding their financial education firm in Rwanda to support financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment.

Money Moves is a bi-weekly column providing practical wisdom and strategies for building wealth and financial security in Rwanda’s evolving economy.