The 25 Countries Receiving the Most U.S. Immigration Visas

The top 25 countries that receive the most immigrant visas in the United States

Although many Americans feel their country is headed in the wrong direction, that doesn’t stop foreigners from wanting to move to the United States. For many around the world, the promise of the American dream is still worth the permanent move, and hundreds of thousands of people each year apply for their immigrant visas to the United States.

The ranking uses annual data from the US State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to visualize the countries whose citizens receive the highest number of US immigrant visas.

US immigration processes

The US immigration process is confusing at best, but it always starts with a visa. A visa, in the context of immigration, is essentially a permit to enter the country, issued to those who want to work and live in the United States. There are two categories of visas: immigrant and nonimmigrant.

Nonimmigrant visas

These visas are usually for temporary workers, but they also serve other purposes, such as basic travel for tourists from certain countries. However, even when obtained for employment purposes, nonimmigrant visas expire and do not lead to green cards or citizenship.

Examples of nonimmigrant visa categories include: members of the press, diplomatic representatives, foreign military personnel stationed in the US, athletes, and a host of other unique situations. The popular, and almost unobtainable, H-1B visas are actually nonimmigrant visas.

Immigrant visas

Immigrant visas, on the other hand, can be employment-based or family-based. The intention behind them is that they eventually lead to permanent status in the US, either through green cards or citizenship. A common example of an immigrant visa is the K-1 visa or “fiancé visa” for people who marry US citizens.

Who is receiving US immigrant visas?

Last year, more than 285,000 United States immigrant visas were issued. Here’s a look at how it’s distributed every country in the world:

mexican citizens received the largest number of visas to immigrate permanently to the US almost 40,600. America’s other neighbor, canadaranks 43rd, having received only 1,464 visas. china i India also tops the list, coming in at 2 and 7, respectively.

Interestingly, only one European country, Ukraine, was the first 25. In 2021, before the Russian invasion, Ukrainians obtained 3,019 visas. Some of the top visa recipient countries are marked by violence and political unrest, including Afghanistan (No. 5) and Iran (No. 25).

Looking beyond the top 25, a surprising finding is that eight North Korea citizens received immigrant visas last year. Also, some countries received only a handful of US immigrant visas, including of Luxembourg two, i Timor-Leste one

Regionally, most of the highest countries are in Asia. Here’s a breakdown:

Finally, here is the geographic distribution of people receiving US immigrant visas.

The state of US immigration

About 15% of the US population is made up of immigrants, and the country is home to the highest number of total immigrants in the world, at 50.6 million.

As for how many visas are issued annually, there is a federal ceiling of 700,000, and some countries have their own specific limits on how many their citizens can receive, as imposed by the United States. Although the numbers change dramatically from year to year, they haven’t come close to breaking even in the past decade.

Below is the total of US immigrant visa issuances worldwide. In particular, they almost halved during the pandemic:

In general, whether for economic reasons, family reunification, or to escape danger, people continue to come to the United States.

In the period between 2016 and 2060, the proportion of the US population born in the US is expected to grow by 20%. Meanwhile, the proportion of the foreign-born population is expected to rise 58%.