US Immigration by Country 2022

A person who immigrates or emigrates abandons his or her country of birth and/or citizenship in favour of another. There is no one motivation for immigration. Some people move to a new country in search of better job prospects.

Still, others want to find loved ones they have lost touch with or to improve their prospects for health, education, or general well-being.

Others are refugees on the run from danger. The United States, as a settler colonial society, owes much of its population growth and cultural development to the influx of foreigners who came to the country.

With very few exceptions (most of whom are themselves descended from immigrants), every single American is either a direct immigrant or the descendant of immigrants.

As of mid-2020, the United States was home to 50.6, million immigrants; this represents 15.3% of the overall U.S. population and 18% of foreign immigrants globally.

Today, there are more than five times as many immigrants living in the United States as there were in 1960. Each year, the United States welcomes new immigrants from over 200 different nations and territories (see chart at the page bottom for details).

The United States used to be one of the most welcoming nations for immigrants, but that has changed in recent decades.

Top 10 Countries of Origin for U.S. Immigrants (2020)

1. Mexico — 100,325
2. India — 46,363
3. China — 41,483
4. Dominican Republic — 30,005
5. Vietnam — 29,995
6. Philippines — 25,491
7. El Salvador — 17,907
8. Brazil — 16,746
9. Cuba — 16,367
10. South Korea — 16,244

The United States only issued legal permanent residence status to 707,362 persons in 2020, a considerable decrease from the annual average of more than a million. California, New York, Florida, and Texas have the highest concentrations of foreign-born residents.

Many people who live in the United States now came from Mexico. By 2020, the United States will have accepted approximately 10.3 million immigrants over the last decade, with roughly 1.5 million (14.3%) coming from Mexico.

This is more than twice as many as from any other nation. Given Mexico’s proximity to the United States, this should come as no surprise. The second and third most populous countries in the world are China (713,527) and India (631,689).

Quick U.S. immigration primer: LPRs, green cards, and more

Lawful permanent residents (LPRs), sometimes known as green card holders, are foreign nationals who have been given indefinite legal status in the United States.

One must first be accepted to the nation as a refugee and physically present as a refugee for at least one year before being eligible to apply for legal permanent residency or a green card. After a year, refugees who have been granted entry to the United States must seek permanent residency.

Although many LPRs eventually apply for citizenship, not all of them do. Citizenship is granted on the condition that certain conditions are met, one of which being a five-year residence in the United States.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services deals with all immigration issues (USCIS).

Also See: Unrecognized Countries 2022

The top 10 countries from which people have immigrated to the United States are as follows:

1. Mexico – 1,480,901
2. China – 713,527
3. India – 631,689
4. Philippines – 496,361
5. Dominican Republic – 481,183
6. Cuba – 468,604
7. Vietnam – 333,900
8. El Salvador – 214,390
9. South Korea – 197,791
10. Jamaica – 196,552