In public, Mr Gbagbo preaches reconciliation, but this does not extend to accepting the full citizenship of Mr Ouatarra, or of the millions of others whose parents may not have been born in what is now Ivorian territory.
On that day, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is scheduled to start accepting applications for the limited supply of H-1B visas, which allow businesses to employ foreign workers with special skills such as teachers, scientists and computer programmers for an initial period of up to three years.