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If you don’t have relatives in the US, a large amount of money to invest in the national economy, or you doubt whether you can win in the lottery, political asylum can be the most convenient way to obtain a Green Card.

How to get a Green Card through Asylee Status

The one year after obtaining an immigrant status, you can fill out Form I-485. After considering your candidacy, if you are over 14 years old, USCIS will schedule a fingerprint capture. If the procedure passed successfully, GC will be sent to you. In some cases, the commission requires the personal presence of applicants to conduct an interview.

Form G-325A should be in the package of docs. Information from your bio will be described there. It is also necessary to get a report from a civilian surgeon. This document (Form I-693) confirms that you have undergone a medical check. You will be tested by a doctor appointed by USCIS. He will fill out all the fields of the form and seal it in the envelope. It can’t be opened. Send the report with other docs.

A copy of the I-94 form, documents confirming entry into the country with the date of arrival can serve as proof of your status.

In addition, you will need 2 passport photos, copies of identity card, passport pages with non-immigrant visa and admission or parole stamp (if available), birth certificate.

Your spouse and kids under the age of 21 will also be able to get GC if they have refugee status on the basis of your kinship. Each person must fill out a separate Form I-485. Add them all to the general package for sending.

Refugee and asylee statuses: are they the same

Statuses “Refugee” and “Asylee” are closely related. They are appropriated to individuals who are granted shelter in the US. However, a refugee may stay in another country at the moment of application. At the same time, an asylee is a person located in the US.

https://youtu.be/FxXCg0qo5lk

Also, a refugee must become a PR 1 year after entering the country. These requirements are not imposed on the asylees. However, obtaining a Green Card can serve their best interests.

Grounds for obtaining refugee status

If you still haven’t a refugee status and only consider it as a way of obtaining a Green Card, it is necessary to understand whether this option is suitable for you.

Political asylum is a special legal status granted to a person on the basis of a violation of his rights and freedoms at home. You can ask for protection from a foreign state in connection with the following reasons: a threat to life and health, persecution, and discrimination due to nationality, religious views, race, sexual orientation, illegal actions of state bodies (for example, police inaction or its refusal to protect you).

It seems that the list of circumstances helping to obtain the asylum gives great opportunities for moving to the United States. In fact, this is the most difficult way of immigration. After all, it will be necessary to collect irrefutable evidence of rights violation: docs, certificates, expert opinions, the testimony of witnesses. Let’s consider in more detail the grounds for obtaining refugee status and the proofs which you should collect.

Refugee status through political views

The most common reason for escaping to the US is political persecution. Many members of opposition parties and social movements, journalists of independent publications are subjected to such harassment. Evidence may include medical reports about beatings, calls to the police or prosecutor’s office, copies of the records of searches and detentions, decisions to initiate criminal proceedings.

Refugee status through nationality and religion

The grounds for a request for asylum may be discriminatory rules at work, cases of intentional destruction of property or the imposition of national traditions. In case of religious oppression, people complain about bans on rituals and holidays, wearing traditional clothes and hats.
The chances of obtaining refugee status will be much greater if you will prove the fact of discrimination by the criteria of one of the international human rights organizations, for example, Human Rights Watch or Amnesty International.

Refugee status through a sexual orientation

America accepts quite a lot of representatives of the LGBT community. The grounds for requesting asylum can be facts of beating or dismissal from work. But the applicant will have to prove that the native state didn’t protect his interests.

Other circumstances

There are situations when a violation of human rights and freedoms is not obvious and requires the more careful collection of proofs. For example, when there was a threat to life and health but police refused to provide protection. In this case, additional documents to confirm the fact of the refusal to initiate criminal proceedings, evidence of incoming threats will be needed.

Or there may be cases of illegal dismissal from work. It’s about racial, national or sexual grounds and not the lack of professionalism of the employee. Here, among other things, it is better to obtain a written testimony of witnesses confirming the discrimination by the management.

Not only those individuals whose rights are being violated at the moment can apply for asylum but also those who are afraid that being at home, they will be subjected to discrimination in the future.

When is it impossible to get a refugee status

There are categories of persons who will not be granted asylum under no circumstances:

• members of terrorist groups (or suspected of terrorist activities);
• citizens who have committed serious crimes;
• people trying to escape justice in their homeland;
• those who participated in the persecution of their compatriots;
• financially secured people able to materially support themselves and their families;
• those who have the permit for loving in a third country (for example, the state of the European Union).

What papers are required for getting a refugee status

You can never be absolutely sure that you have really good reasons and impressive evidence for applying for protection. Even if all the certificates, testimonies and expert opinions are in your hands, they may be not enough. There is no universal list of the necessary documents. All appeals are considered individually. There is always the possibility that your case will seem inconclusive to the immigration officer.

Like any other immigration process, search for asylum must be carefully planned. It is better not to deal with it independently and to entrust the legal part to professionals. Ignorance of laws, language, and order of documents submission can spoil the whole case at the very beginning.

Therefore, the first step is to contact a licensed immigration lawyer who is fluent in your language. He will assess the current situation, give advice on the collection of papers, prepare you for the interview at the USCIS and also come there, will represent you at the immigration court if you are refused at the first time.

Next, you need to fill out an I-589 form – a questionnaire that outlines the causes of fears associated with returning home. The motives for persecution (political, ethnic) are indicated in it. The instructions for the form indicate the address to which you should send the completed document.

The procedure of fingerprinting and administrative verification follows next. After this, the applicant is invited to an interview with an immigration officer. It’s better to come with a lawyer. You will tell in detail about the situation in your home country, provide documents confirming it. They must be translated into English and certified. Translate not only official papers but also newspaper articles if they somehow prove the fact of violation of human rights and freedoms.

Immigration court

The application is usually considered for several years. If it is accepted, you’ll get the desired status. But sometimes there are failures. Then the case is immediately transferred to the immigration court. Do not be afraid of it. First, while the case is being examined, you can’t be detained or deported. Secondly, the refusal in the immigration office does not affect the judgment in any way.

The case is usually considered from one to three years. At least three meetings take place at which it is necessary to present more comprehensive evidence base, to pass the necessary examinations and to bring witnesses (if possible).

During the trial process, the case can be supplemented, reinforced with facts, but its essence can’t be changed. That is, if ethnic oppression at work was declared, you can’t change your mind and say that you are being persecuted for political views.

In the court, you must be represented by an immigration lawyer. The meeting will not be held without him. Also, a court-certified interpreter is present at the hearing.

We hope that this article was useful and you will achieve the set goal. If you have any additional questions about this topic, do not hesitate to ask in the comments.

Each form is available for download for free, but you must pay a special fee for each form to be done with the visa center officials. You can call to the customer service and ask about the fees amounts for each uploaded form. Dial 1-800-375-5283 and ask for the fee information.

The USCIS fees change periodically, you may need to verify if the fees are correct by looking through the schedule G-1055 Fee Form Schedule or select “Forms” and check the appropriate fee provided in the form instructions.

What is the fees when you are coming to the US as a permanent resident?

Immigrant visa application processing fees are tiered, as shown below, based on the visa category you apply for.

Every visa applicant must pay the visa application processing fee for the visa category being applied for.

Description of Service and Fee Amount. All fees are in US currency/ American dollars.

Filing an Immigrant Visa Petition it is when collected by U.S. Embassies and Consulates for USCIS. Fees subject to change.

Immigrant petition for a relative which is Form I-130 costs $420.00.

Orphan (intercountry adoption) immediate relative petition (I-600, I-800) costs $720.00.

Immigrant Visa Application Processing Fees are non-refundable, per person. Immediate relative and family preference applications (processed on the basis of an approved I-130, I-600 or I-800 petition). It costs $325.00 for each one petition filed.

Employment-based applications (processed on the basis of an approved I-140 or I-526 petition). The price is $345.00.

Other immigrant visa applications (including approved I-360 self-petitioners, special immigrant visa applicants, returning resident (SB-1) applicants, and all others, except DV program selectees). Price is $205.00.

There is no fee for certain Iraqi and Afghan special immigrant visa applications.

Diversity Visa Lottery fee (per person applying as a DV program selected for a DV category immigrant visa) the price is $330.00 for each completed application. But the entering a lottery is free to all participants around the world. It is a free lottery.

Before being interviewed, each applicant must pay the Diversity Visa Lottery fee. For DV-2017 and DV-2016 applicants, the fee is $330 per person. This fee is nonrefundable, whether a visa is issued or not.

Affidavit of Support Review (only when reviewed domestically) cost is $120.00.

If you are immigrating to the United States as a lawful permanent resident, you must pay the $165 USCIS Immigrant Fee online unless you meet one of the exemptions below.
USCIS uses this fee to process your immigrant visa packet and produce your Permanent Resident Card also better known as a Green Card.

To renew or replace your green card you must pay the fee too. The current filing fee for Form I-90 is $450, which includes a $365 form fee and $85 biometric services fee. This term includes processing fees, replacement fees, application fees and filing fees.

If you are filing Form I-90 because you never received your Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), you do not have to pay a filing fee as long as you check these steps:

1. We mailed the card over 30 days ago;
2. Green card was returned to us as undeliverable;
3. You have not moved from the address you provided us.

If you are filing the Form I-90 because your current Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) contains incorrect information due to a Department of Homeland Security error, such as a misspelled name, you do not have to pay a filing fee.

As soon as you receive your immigrant visa packet from a U.S. embassy or consulate, we strongly recommend you to pay the fee after you pick up your immigrant visa and before you depart for the United States.

If you can’t pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee, a family member, friend, employer, attorney or accredited representative can pay it for you. If someone pays the fee for you, they will need your Alien Number (A-Number) and Department of State (DOS) Case ID.

You may also pay the fee after you arrive in the United States. If you arrive in the United States and haven’t yet paid the USCIS Immigrant Fee, USCIS will send you a notice requesting payment with instructions on paying your fee. You will not receive your Green Card until you have paid the USCIS Immigrant Fee.

Exemptions

The following groups do not have to pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee:

• Children who enter the United States under the orphan or Hague adoption programs;
• Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants;
• Returning lawful permanent residents (SB-1s); and
• K-nonimmigrants.

You must pay the fee online. Below are the steps to pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee.

Acceptable methods of payment are:

1. Filing By Mail: Check or money order (No credit or debit card, no cash);
2. Filing Online: Credit card, debit card, or U.S. bank account.

Withdrawing an Application

If you wish to withdraw your Form I-90, you must submit a written request to the next address:

Potomac Service Center
200 Potomac Center Drive Stop 2425
Arlington, VA 20598-2425 USA.

USCIS will not issue any refunds if you withdraw your application or cancel your request.

Before you begin the process of preparing the case for applying for political asylum, it will not be superfluous to understand all the stages through which you will need to go through and understand the necessary aspects which are inherent in each stage.

The first stage is writing history, filling out form I-589 and collecting all the necessary documents that will serve as evidence in your case.

The second stage is the formation of the case and sending it to the necessary USCIS office. After you have collected the necessary documents and formed the case, it will to be sent to your USCIS regional office.

The third stage is getting an invitation to biometrics. Approximately 10 days after the USCIS receives your case, you will be notified by mail that the case is accepted and you are invited to take biometrics (fingerprints and photos). You will be allocated 14 days, during which you must necessarily appear in the local office (whose address will be in the notification) and hand over fingerprints. If you ignore this invitation, or come later than the deadline, then consideration of your case for granting political asylum can stop.

The fourth stage – after you have passed the procedure of biometrics, there comes a waiting period for a call for an interview. In California, and in other states, immigration offices are very busy, so the queue is stretched for years. The law says that the call for an interview must be within 45 days. In fact, very rarely people wait less than a year, and in California, Los Angeles County, this period is delayed by 5.5 years (statistics for the end of February 2017). The fourth stage will be the call for an interview. For a month (sometimes for 2 weeks) before the appointed date, you will be notified where and when (the place, time and date) the alleged interview with the immigration officer will be indicated.

The fifth stage is the interview itself. The officer will study in detail all the facts described in the form I-589 and in your history, compare them with the evidence you provided, will ask hundreds of questions to verify the reality of what you wrote about in your history.

The sixth stage is approval of a petition. The approval of your case will not be made immediately, but, as a rule, will come by mail within a month after the interview. If it is approving, then you get refugee status in the US and a temporary Green Card, which after a year will become permanent. If the officer made a negative decision, the case automatically goes to court, where the judge will observe everything again, without relying on the decision of the immigration office.

Regarding advices in the formation of the case

• All your documents must be clearly structured, numbered and stacked according to this numbering.
• Write the title to the case, where indicate what is going on and why. To each document or group of documents, give your serial number and mark it directly in the folder with the papers.
• All documents are desirable to be folded into one large folder, dividing them among themselves by special separation plates or in any other way. As a rule, for each group of documents, we select a separate folder, number it and add it to a large one, which already contains all the materials.

From what is the case for political asylum in the US consist of

Any case is a set of certain documents that will make up an overall picture of you, your situation, the situation with members of your organization and the situation in the country as a whole.

In a fully-formed case, such materials should be included:

1. The first document that should be present in your case is the fully completed and signed form I-589. It is the most important and the main document, because it has clear and strict requirements for filling it. Also, do not forget that you need to attach your passport-style photo to this form (as you did for a visa in the US). If your spouse includes children, then they also need to attach a copy of this form (do not fill out a separate one, but make a copy with your data) by attaching one photo.
2. The second document is a story written and translated into English. Do not forget that the officer will work directly with the history, so you do not need to fasten it with a stapler or some other way. The officer should be able to freely take the story out of the case and work with each sheet separately.
3. The third most important document will be Country Condition. This is a very important part of the case, which will allow the officer to understand the state of affairs in your country at the moment and compare the reality of what you described with the fact whether this could happen in the country as a whole. Country Condition or Country Status Report is the publication of official human rights organizations, authoritative human rights organizations, reports from the US Department of State, etc.
4. The fourth point is references and other evidence. If you have a lot of them, let’s say stories from the police, court decisions, calls for interrogations, medical certificates, certificates from a psychologist, documents from the tax service, etc., it will be expedient to separate each item.
5. If you have testimonies of witnesses, then they should single out a separate item. Each testimony should be written in a free form, while certified by the name, surname, signature and copy of the passport of the person who gave this testimony.
6. Photo and video materials are another component of the political asylum case. These materials must prove either your belonging to a certain group or event, or to depict some facts described in the story (photos of beatings, photos of destroying property, photo of threats written on your doors, etc.). Each photo must be signed on the reverse side, explaining what is depicted on it.
7. Publications in the media. If you have materials that relate to you or your situation and were written about by the mass media, then they should also be attached to the case. More credibility will be authoritative media such as BBC, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Huffington Post, etc. But it is clear that such authoritative sources cover only very resonant cases, therefore, not everything can be found on the pages of these newspapers. Articles and photos from local sources will also work, but there
   will be less confidence in them.

Where do you need to send the case

USCIS Texas Service Center
Attn: Asylum
P.O. Box 851892
Mesquite, TX 75185-1892
If you are in: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Western Pennsylvania*, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wyoming.

USCIS Nebraska Service Center
P.O. Box 87589
Lincoln, NE 68501-7589
If you are in: Alaska, Northern California (Any county in California or Nevada not listed above), Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Northern Nevada*, North Dakota, Oregon, Ohio, South Dakota, Washington, or Wisconsin.

USCIS California Service Center
P.O. Box 10881
Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-0881
If you are in: Arizona, Southern California (California counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, or Ventura), Guam, Hawaii, or Norther, Nevada.

USCIS Vermont Service Center
Attn: Asylum
75 Lower Welden Street
St. Albans, VT 05479-0589
If you are in: Connecticut, Delaware, Main, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Eastern Pennsylvania*, Rhode Island, Vermont.

Phone of National Customer Service Center: 1-800-375-5283
Phone for applicant with impaired hearing: 1-800-767-1833

How long to wait for a decision on your petition

The law says that you should be summoned to the interview within 45 days after the case is accepted by the USCIS. But this is only in the law, in fact everything is different.

Immigration offices are incredibly overloaded, so they cannot cope with the huge flow of applications. According to official statistics in California in March 2017 in the queue was 17,000 cases.

On average, a petition for political asylum in California (Los Angeles County) is waiting for an interview for at least 5 years, in San Francisco the waiting period is 2 years (statistics for the end of 2016). Of course, there are cases of a call in a shorter time, but they are more an exception to the rules than something permanent. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that interviews can be appointed no earlier than 2 years after the application for asylum has been submitted.

What benefits will you have while waiting for an answer

The law says that if you did not receive a call for an interview, or if the decision on your case is not made within 150 days after the documents are received by the USCIS, you have the right to complete and submit work permit documents and then you will already get the social security number SSN.

These two documents will give you the right to officially work in the US, enjoy all the delights of the banking system, feel freer in the United States. Also you can get a state ID and a driver’s license. In essence, you will have many rights and freedoms that are inherent in any US citizen (the feed of the right to vote, purchase of weapons and other exclusive rights inherent only to citizens or permanent residents of the country).

Since the process of naturalization can take more than a year, you are allowed to apply for three months before the expiration of the due date in the status of permanent resident.

So what you need to do for getting the certificate of US citizenship:

• You need to send the filled N-400 form to the local immigration office (registration fee – $ 95).
• You need a card with fingerprints, three photos – the same as for a Green Card, and a copy of the Green Card.
• The application for a child must be accompanied by a birth certificate, a marriage certificate of the parents and a certificate of the parents’ nationality.
• You need to successfully pass all the necessary exams.
• Take the Oath of Allegiance to America.

In New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami, applications are mailed to the regional immigration office. In other cities, you can personally apply to the local immigration office

Filling the N-400 immigration form

• In part 3 of the N-400 questionnaire, it is necessary to list the periods of stay abroad during the waiting period. If you make many trips, indicate the approximate number of trips for each year and the duration of each trip. It is recommended to keep a diary of your trips and keep air tickets and boarding passes.
• In part 4 (question B), you must specify a list of your employers. If you received a Green Card on the basis of work, then you must submit tax returns so that the immigration office determines if you worked for your sponsor, and if so, for how long. If you did not work for a sponsor or part with him immediately after receiving a residence permit, the immigration service may suspect you of fraud in order to obtain a Green Card.
• Part 5 contains questions about your marital status. If you received a Green Card on the basis of a marriage with a US citizen, you should be legally married to apply for citizenship three years after receiving a “conditional” permanent status. The Immigration Service will check whether you are married to a US citizen. If not, then you can apply for citizenship in five years, as well as other holders of the Green Card. You must prove that the marriage is factual and is entered into voluntarily. If the immigration service suspects you of marital fraud in order to obtain a residence permit, you are deprived of the right to citizenship and risk losing your permanent resident status.
• Part 7 clarifies the circumstances that may deprive you of the right to citizenship. You will have to prove that you paid income tax in the US as a permanent resident for five years (three years – in the case of a marriage with a US citizen). All questions of Part 7 relate to the general requirement of moral principles. Some serious offenses, especially violent crimes or other facts of your criminal past, can permanently deprive you of the right to citizenship on the basis of a lack of moral standards.

But less serious crimes can be forgiven if they were committed long ago and since then you have not violated the law. If you must answer “yes” to any question in part 7, contact a lawyer before submitting the application.

If you try to hide important information in a questionnaire or in an interview or if your data in a citizenship application is different from the data in a Green Card application, this can cast doubt on not only the right to a nationality but also the status of a permanent resident.

Attention! Exemption from “exclusion” when obtaining a Green Card may not be sufficient for citizenship.

If you receive an exemption from “exclusion” on receipt of the Green Card (Chapter 17), you can still be deprived of the right to citizenship; the requirements for obtaining citizenship are very high, and in addition, you may not have moral foundations, even if you have been released. Your way of life from the date of obtaining a residence permit is very important. If you need to get an exemption for getting a Green Card, consult a lawyer before applying for a citizenship.

• Part 8 contains the question of whether you can swear an oath of allegiance to the United States and fulfill the debt to the country if necessary, including military service. If you can not swear an oath in the army for religious reasons (but not for personal or philosophical beliefs), you may not give this part of the vow. An oath is necessary to obtain citizenship.

The United States does not enforce a compulsory call and does not plan for it in the future. However, men aged 18 to 26 (with Green Cards) must register for military service and submit this registration in an interview for citizenship. You will again be asked for an interview, can you swear an oath of allegiance to the United States. A real oath is given at the ceremony of taking citizenship. The oath implies the rejection of loyalty to the country of which you are currently a citizen.

• Part 10 asks about unmarried children under the age of 18 in permanent status. Note that in many cases a US citizen parent can apply for a certificate of citizenship for the child.

Interviews and exams on history and English

After 3-9 months the application is filed, you will receive a notice of the date of the interview at the local immigration office. (Spouses can be interviewed together if they express this request in the N-400 questionnaires.) The Immigration Service strives to shorten the time for processing applications for citizenship; other authorized agencies may conduct interviews. However, at present, the rules remain the same.

In the interview, the examiner will review your application and ask if you have any obstacles to the Oath of Allegiance.

The examiner can also ask questions about your receipt of the Green Card if some facts indicate immigration fraud. You must confirm the payment of taxes and the availability of registration for military service (if this applies to you).

US Citizenship Naturalization Test 2018 (OFFICIAL 100 TEST QUESTIONS & ANSWERS)

Questions are also raised about your lifestyle in America and moral foundations. If you are divorced, then you must prove the fulfillment of the conditions of divorce (providing for the former spouse and child). If additional documents are required, you will be assigned a second interview.

You also need to demonstrate your ability to read and speak English. (This is not required when receiving a Green Card.)

Permanent residents aged 50 or older who have a residence permit for twenty years, or who are 55 years old or over, who have a Green Card for 15 years, are not required to take an English test. Interviews can take place in your native language with the help of an interpreter. People with physical disabilities or mental illnesses can also be exempt from the exam.

The examiner checks the English language skills during the conversation with you. You will also be asked to read and write a few simple sentences. If you have a problem with English, you can attend special classes to achieve a sufficient level of language knowledge for the interview, since you only need knowledge of the basics. In these schools, you can pass a standard exam and bring results to the interview.

Next, the examiner will check your knowledge of the history and state structure of the United States. You can verbally answer the questions of the examiner or pass a standard test in one of the agencies authorized for such work.

People with physical disabilities or mental illnesses are exempt from the exam. Persons who have reached the age of 65 and older, who are permanent residents for 20 years, must answer correctly only to 6 out of 25 questions. Exempt from the English language test can be answered with the help of an interpreter.

It is easy to prepare for the exam: you simply remember 100 questions and answers before the interview (booklets with questions and answers are given to everyone). Also, you can attend classes or take an exam in special examination centers, in the immigration service.

The examiner usually asks 5-10 questions, and if you answered most of them correctly – you passed the exam.

Questions on history certainly include such as:

• Who was the first president of the United States? (George Washington.)
• Who was President during the Civil War? (Abraham Lincoln.)
• When did America declare independence from England? (July 4, 1776)

Questions about the government include:

• How many states are in the US? (50.)
• How many senators are there in Congress? (100 – two from each state.)
• Who is the president and vice president?

If you know the answers to these questions – you know more than many Americans.

If your application for citizenship is rejected because you do not speak English well enough or have answered questions incorrectly, you can re-apply when you are better prepared.

The Oath of Allegiance to America

If the interview was successful, you will be given the date of the oath ceremony together with the other applicants. In some areas, the ceremony takes place a few months after the interview.

Between the interview and the ceremony, you can travel abroad, but you must meet all the requirements, including living in the US and living in the state.

At the ceremony, you will be asked about the trips made since the interview. You must remain a permanent resident of the state, where you applied for citizenship, before the ceremony.

After the vow, you receive a certificate of citizenship “Naturalization Certificate” (“Naturalization Certificate”, questionnaire N-550).

Mission completed — congratulations

5 Important Steps After Your Naturalization

Immediately after the naturalization, you can apply for a US passport to the passport office. Do not forget to pay taxes! Like permanent residents, US citizens must complete income tax returns no matter where they live and earn money.

1. The number of immigrants increased

In July 2017, the number of migrants who arrived legally and illegally in the United States reached a record 43.7 million people. This is an increase of 500 thousand from 2015, by 3.8 million since 2010 and by 12.6 million since 2000.

2. Every eighth US resident is a foreigner

The share of migrants in the US population for 2016 is 13.5%, that is, one in eight of the country’s inhabitants. This is the highest percentage for 106 years. As early as 1980, only one of the 16 residents of the States was a foreigner.

3. For five years – 8 million new migrants

From 2010 to 2016 in the US settled 8.1 million people.

4. More minor immigrants

In 2016, 16.6 million migrant-children in the United States arrived with their parents, while in the country there were 60.4 million newcomers with children, that is, one-fifth of the population.

5. Mexicans – the largest group of migrants in the USA

Mexican immigrants (legal and illegal) became the largest foreign population of the States in 2016. Only from 2010 to 2016 from Mexico came 1.1 million people: the eighth of all newcomers.

However, taking into account the reverse migration and natural mortality, the total number of Mexicans in the United States has not changed in six years.

6. India – new immigration leader

• India (654,202 people)
• China (550 022 people)
• Dominican Republic (206,134 people)
• El Salvador (172,973 people)
• Cuba (166,939 people)
• Philippines (164,077 people)
• Honduras (128,478 people)
• Viet Nam (112,218 people)
• Venezuela (106,185 people)
• Guatemala (104 883 people)
• Nigeria (87,565 people)
• Pakistan (83,271 people)
• Haiti (81,074 people)
• Bangladesh (80 949 people)
• Jamaica (76 532 people)
• Ethiopia (71,332 people)
• Brazil (69,982 people)
• Colombia (68,032 people)
• Iraq (61 787 people)
• Burma (60 294 people)
• Nepal (59,592 people)
• Saudi Arabia (54,843 people)

7. Texas – the most desirable state for migrants

• Texas – 587,890 people.
• Florida – 578 468 people.
• California – 527,236 people.
• New York – 238 503 people.
• New Jersey – 171 504 people.
• Massachusetts – 134 318 people.
• Washington – 134 132 people.
• Pennsylvania – 131,845 people.
• Virginia – 120,050 people.
• Maryland – 118,175 people.
• Georgia – 95,353 people.
• Nevada – 78 341 people.
• Arizona – 78,220 people.
• Michigan – 74,533 people.
• Minnesota – 73 953 people.
• North Carolina – 70 503 people.

8. The largest increase in the number of migrants is in North Dakota

• North Dakota (+ 49%)
• West Virginia (+ 40%)
• South Dakota (+ 39%)
• Delaware (+ 24%)
• Nebraska (+ 20%)
• Minnesota (+ 20%)
• Wyoming (+ 19%)
• Pennsylvania (+ 18%)
• Alaska (+ 16%)
• Indiana (+ 16%)
• Florida (+ 16%)
• Nevada (+ 15%)
• Iowa (+ 15%)
• Maryland (+ 15%)
• Massachusetts (+ 14%)
• Texas (+ 14%)
• Utah (+ 13%)
• Wisconsin (+ 13%)
• Virginia (+ 13%)