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

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

Although many Americans feel that their country is on the wrong track , this does not stop foreigners from wanting to move to the United States. For many around the globe, the promise of the American dream is still worth the permanent move and hundreds of thousands of people every year apply for their U.S. immigration visas.

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

U.S. Immigration Processes

The process of U.S. immigration 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 looking to work and live in the United States. There are two visa categories : immigrant and non-immigrant.

Non-immigrant visas

These visas are typically for temporary workers, but also serve other purposes, like basic travel for tourists from certain countries. Even when obtained for work purposes however, non-immigrant visas expire and do not lead to green cards or citizenship.

Some examples of non-immigrant visas categories include: members of the press, diplomatic representatives, foreign military personnel stationed in the U.S., athletes, and a plethora of other unique situations. The popular, and nearly unattainable, H-1B visas are actually non-immigrant visas.

Immigrant visas

Immigrant visas, on the other hand, can either be employment-based or family-based. The intention behind them is that they will eventually lead to permanent status in the U.S., either through green cards or citizenship. A common example of an immigration visa is the K-1 visa or the “fiancé visa” for individuals marrying American citizens.

Who’s Getting U.S. Immigrant Visas?

Last year, more than 285,000 U.S. immigrant visas were issued. Here’s a look how that is distributed across every country worldwide :

Rank Country Immigrant Visas Issued (2021)
#1 🇲🇽 Mexico 40,597
#2 🇨🇳 China 18,501
#3 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 17,941
#4 🇵🇭 Philippines 15,862
#5 🇦🇫 Afghanistan 10,784
#6 🇻🇳 Vietnam 10,458
#7 🇮🇳 India 9,275
#8 🇸🇻 El Salvador 7,813
#9 🇵🇰 Pakistan 7,213
#10 🇧🇩 Bangladesh 5,503
#11 🇳🇵 Nepal 5,342
#12 🇪🇨 Ecuador 5,061
#13 🇳🇬 Nigeria 4,990
#14 🇨🇴 Colombia 4,785
#15 🇾🇪 Yemen 4,770
#16 🇯🇲 Jamaica 4,375
#17 🇭🇹 Haiti 3,799
#18 🇲🇦 Morocco 3,585
#19 🇨🇺 Cuba 3,232
#20 🇳🇮 Nicaragua 3,216
#21 🇭🇳 Honduras 3,180
#22 🇨🇲 Cameroon 3,048
#23 🇺🇦 Ukraine 3,019
#24 🇰🇷 South Korea 2,954
#25 🇮🇷 Iran 2,802
#26 🇯🇴 Jordan 2,785
#27 🇬🇹 Guatemala 2,717
#28 🇬🇾 Guyana 2,650
#29 🇧🇷 Brazil 2,423
#30 🇪🇹 Ethiopia 2,402
#31 🇪🇬 Egypt 2,230
#32 🇬🇭 Ghana 2,216
#33 🇻🇪 Venezuela 2,031
#34 🇩🇿 Algeria 1,922
#35 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 1,897
#36 🇦🇱 Albania 1,794
#37 🇹🇼 Taiwan 1,775
#38 🇵🇪 Peru 1,772
#39 🇰🇪 Kenya 1,612
#40 🇰🇭 Cambodia 1,586
#41 🇱🇧 Lebanon 1,543
#42 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone 1,481
#43 🇨🇦 Canada 1,464
#44 🇯🇵 Japan 1,401
#45 🇹🇷 Turkey 1,361
#46 🇹🇭 Thailand 1,221
#47 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,203
#48 🇷🇺 Russia 1,154
#49 🇩🇪 Germany 1,086
#50 🇦🇲 Armenia 992
#51 🇹🇬 Togo 989
#52 🇵🇱 Poland 942
#53 🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire 924
#54 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR 838
#55 🇱🇷 Liberia 803
#56 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka 799
#57 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago 793
#58 🇧🇾 Belarus 787
#59 🇸🇩 Sudan 783
#60 🇸🇾 Syria 757
#61 🇸🇴 Somalia 724
#62 🇮🇩 Indonesia 714
#63 🇷🇴 Romania 706
#64 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia 701
#65 🇬🇪 Georgia 652
#66 🇧🇴 Bolivia 642
#67 🇫🇷 France 622
#67 🇮🇹 Italy 622
#69 🇲🇩 Moldova 611
#70 🇦🇷 Argentina 608
#71 🇿🇦 South Africa 599
#72 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates 598
#73 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde 597
#74 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan 592
#75 🇲🇲 Myanmar 587
#76 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 584
#77 🇮🇶 Iraq 579
#78 🇸🇳 Senegal 566
#79 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe 543
#80 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 537
#81 🇫🇯 Fiji 522
#82 🇽🇰 Kosovo 520
#83 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan 513
#84 🇦🇺 Australia 505
#85 🇬🇳 Guinea 500
#86 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 493
#87 🇬🇲 The Gambia 484
#88 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 472
#89 🇮🇱 Israel 471
#90 🇹🇯 Tajikistan 444
#91 🇨🇱 Chile 416
#92 🇰🇼 Kuwait 412
#93 🇪🇸 Spain 410
#94 🇪🇷 Eritrea 371
#95 🇵🇦 Panama 363
#96 🇲🇳 Mongolia 355
#97 🇧🇯 Benin 343
#98 🇲🇾 Malaysia 330
#99 🇷🇸 Serbia 328
#100 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan 308
#101 🇧🇸 The Bahamas 303
#102 🇹🇿 Tanzania 301
#103 🇹🇳 Tunisia 298
#104 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia 292
#105 🇷🇼 Rwanda 291
#106 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan 284
#107 🇺🇬 Uganda 281
#108 🇩🇲 Dominica 279
#109 🇧🇿 Belize 278
#110 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso 259
#111 🇱🇾 Libya 233
#112 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 231
#112 🇬🇩 Grenada 231
#114 🇮🇪 Ireland 213
#115 🇳🇿 New Zealand 205
#116 🇭🇺 Hungary 203
#117 🇲🇱 Mali 196
#118 🇶🇦 Qatar 190
#119 🇳🇱 Netherlands 182
#120 🇱🇹 Lithuania 177
#121 🇧🇧 Barbados 170
#122 🇬🇷 Greece 168
#123 🇿🇲 Zambia 152
#124 🇸🇬 Singapore 148
#124 🇲🇪 Montenegro 148
#126 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda 146
#127 🇺🇾 Uruguay 144
#128 🇨🇭 Switzerland 142
#129 🇱🇻 Latvia 131
#130 🇸🇪 Sweden 123
#131 🇵🇹 Portugal 120
#132 🇧🇪 Belgium 114
#133 🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 113
#134 🇳🇪 Niger 112
#135 🇵🇾 Paraguay 111
#136 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo 108
#137 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 105
#138 🇦🇹 Austria 104
#139 🇧🇮 Burundi 98
#140 🇭🇷 Croatia 96
#141 🇫🇮 Finland 89
#142 🇩🇯 Djibouti 80
#142 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis 80
#144 🇸🇰 Slovakia 77
#145 🇧🇭 Bahrain 66
#146 🇲🇼 Malawi 65
#147 🇲🇷 Mauritania 62
#148 🇹🇩 Chad 57
#149 🇦🇴 Angola 52
#150 🇬🇦 Gabon 49
#151 🇪🇪 Estonia 48
#152 🇸🇷 Suriname 45
#153 🇸🇸 South Sudan 41
#153 🇹🇴 Tonga 41
#155 🇴🇲 Oman 38
#156 🇲🇬 Madagascar 36
#156 🇩🇰 Denmark 36
#156 🇮🇸 Iceland 36
#159 🇧🇹 Bhutan 35
#159 🇧🇲 Bermuda 35
#161 🇸🇮 Slovenia 32
#162 🇨🇾 Cyprus 28
#163 🇳🇴 Norway 23
#164 🇨🇫 Central African Republic 22
#165 🇧🇼 Botswana 21
#165 🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands 21
#167 🇲🇴 Macau SAR 20
#168 🇱🇦 Laos 11
#168 🇲🇫 Saint Martin 11
#168 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands 11
#171 🇲🇿 Mozambique 10
#171 🇳🇦 Namibia 10
#171 🇦🇮 Anguilla 10
#174 🇲🇺 Mauritius 9
#174 🇸🇽 Sint Maarten 9
#174 🇼🇸 Samoa 9
#177 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau 8
#177 🇰🇵 North Korea 8
#177 🇨🇼 Curaçao 8
#180 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands 7
#181 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea 6
#182 🇲🇹 Malta 5
#182 🇦🇼 Aruba 5
#184 🇱🇸 Lesotho 4
#184 🇧🇳 Brunei 4
#186 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea 3
#186 🇲🇸 Montserrat 3
#188 🇸🇿 Eswatini 2
#188 🇲🇻 Maldives 2
#188 🇵🇫 French Polynesia 2
#188 🇬🇮 Gibraltar 2
#188 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 2
#188 🇫🇲 Federated Sates of Micronesia 2
#194 🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe 1
#194 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste 1
#194 🇳🇨 New Caledonia 1
#194 🇲🇨 Monaco 1
#194 🇨🇽 Christmas Island 1
#194 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 1
#194 🇵🇼 Palau 1
#194 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands 1
#194 🇻🇺 Vanuatu 1
#203 🇰🇲 Comoros 0
#203 🇪🇭 Western Sahara 0
#203 🇸🇨 Seychelles 0
#203 🇦🇩 Andorra 0
#203 🇫🇴 Faroe Islands 0
#203 🇬🇱 Greenland 0
#203 🇹🇫 French Southern and Antarctic Lands 0
#203 🇧🇱 St. Barthelemy 0
#203 🇵🇲 St. Pierre and Miquelon 0
#203 🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna 0
#203 🇮🇴 British Indian Ocean Territory 0
#203 🇫🇰 Falkland Islands 0
#203 🇵🇳 Pitcairn 0
#203 🇸🇭 St. Helena 0
#203 🇬🇸 South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands 0
#203 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 0
#203 Northern Ireland (DV Only) 0
#203 🇸🇯 Svalbard 0
#203 🇸🇲 San Marino 0
#203 🇻🇦 Vatican City 0
#203 🇨🇨 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 0
#203 🇳🇫 Norfolk Island 0
#203 🇰🇮 Kiribati 0
#203 🇳🇷 Nauru 0
#203 🇨🇰 Cook Islands 0
#203 🇳🇺 Niue 0
#203 🇹🇰 Tokelau 0
#203 🇹🇻 Tuvalu 0
Total 285,069

Mexican citizens received the highest number of visas to immigrate permanently to the U.S. at nearly 40,600 . America’s other neighbor, Canada , ranked 43rd, only receiving 1,464 visas. China and India also rank high on the list, ranking at #2 and #7 respectively.

Interestingly, only one European country, Ukraine , made the top 25. In 2021, prior to the Russian invasion, Ukrainians obtained 3,019 visas. A number of the top visa recipient nations are marked by violence and political unrest, like Afghanistan (#5) and Iran (#25).

Looking beyond the top 25, one surprising find is that eight North Korean citizens received immigration visas last year. Additionally, a number of countries only received a handful of U.S. immigrant visas including Luxembourg’s two, and Timor-Leste’s one.

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

Rank Region Immigrant Visas Issued (2021)
#1 Asia 111,419
#2 North America 91,919
#3 Africa 35,776
#4 Europe 23,972
#5 South America 20,688
#6 Oceania 1,295

Finally, here’s the geographical distribution of persons receiving U.S. immigrant visas.

Map infographic showing which countries receive the most U.S. immigration visas

The State of U.S. Immigration

Around 15% of the U.S. 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 .

In terms of how many visas are issued annually, there is a federal ceiling of 700,000 and certain countries have their own specific caps on how many their citizens can receive, as mandated by the United States. Although the numbers change drastically year by year, they have not come close to the limit in the last decade.

Here’s a look at the total U.S. immigrant visa issuances globally. Notably, they diminished by almost half during the pandemic:

Year Immigrant Visas Issued Worldwide % Change Year-over-Year
2012 482,300 -
2013 473,115 -1.9%
2014 467,370 -1.2%
2015 531,463 +13.7%
2016 617,752 +16.2%
2017 559,536 -9.4%
2018 533,557 -4.6%
2019 462,422 -13.3%
2020 240,526 -48.0%
2021 285,069 +18.5%

Overall, whether for economic purposes, reunification of families, or in fleeing from danger, people are continuing to come to the United States.

In the period between 2016 and 2060, it’s expected that the share of the U.S. population that is American-born is going to grow by 20%. Meanwhile, the share of the population that is foreign-born is expected to jump by 58% .

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Technology

Timeline: The Shocking Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank

Silicon Valley Bank was shuttered by regulators becoming the largest bank to fail since the height of the Financial Crisis. What happened?

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Timeline: The Shocking Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank

Just days ago, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was still viewed as a highly-respected player in the tech space, counting thousands of U.S. venture capital-backed startups as its customers.

But fast forward to the end of last week, and SVB was shuttered by regulators after a panic-induced bank run.

So, how exactly did this happen? We dig in below.

Road to a Bank Run

SVB and its customers generally thrived during the low interest rate era, but as rates rose, SVB found itself more exposed to risk than a typical bank. Even so, at the end of 2022, the bank’s balance sheet showed no cause for alarm.

Summary of the SVB balance sheet at the end of 2022

As well, the bank was viewed positively in a number of places. Most Wall Street analyst ratings were overwhelmingly positive on the bank’s stock, and Forbes had just added the bank to its Financial All-Stars list .

Outward signs of trouble emerged on Wednesday, March 8th, when SVB surprised investors with news that the bank needed to raise more than $2 billion to shore up its balance sheet.

The reaction from prominent venture capitalists was not positive, with Coatue Management, Union Square Ventures, and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund moving to limit exposure to the 40-year-old bank. The influence of these firms is believed to have added fuel to the fire, and a bank run ensued.

Also influencing decision making was the fact that SVB had the highest percentage of uninsured domestic deposits of all big banks. These totaled nearly $152 billion, or about 97% of all deposits.

ℹ️ The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures up to $250,000 per account, per bank, for depositors.

By the end of the day, customers had tried to withdraw $42 billion in deposits.

What Triggered the SVB Collapse?

While the collapse of SVB took place over the course of 44 hours, its roots trace back to the early pandemic years.

In 2021, U.S. venture capital-backed companies raised a record $330 billion —double the amount seen in 2020. At the time, interest rates were at rock-bottom levels to help buoy the economy.

Matt Levine sums up the situation well: “When interest rates are low everywhere, a dollar in 20 years is about as good as a dollar today, so a startup whose business model is “we will lose money for a decade building artificial intelligence, and then rake in lots of money in the far future” sounds pretty good. When interest rates are higher, a dollar today is better than a dollar tomorrow, so investors want cash flows. When interest rates were low for a long time, and suddenly become high, all the money that was rushing to your customers is suddenly cut off.”

Year U.S. Venture Capital Activity Annual % Change
2021 $330B 98%
2020 $167B 15%
2019 $145B 1%
2018 $144B 64%
2017 $88B 6%
2016 $83B -3%

Source: Pitchbook

Why is this important? During this time, SVB received billions of dollars from these venture-backed clients. In one year alone, their deposits increased 100%. They took these funds and invested them in longer-term bonds. As a result, this created a dangerous trap as the company expected rates would remain low.

During this time, SVB invested in bonds at the top of the market. As interest rates rose higher and bond prices declined, SVB started taking major losses on their long-term bond holdings.

Losses Fueling a Liquidity Crunch

When SVB reported its fourth quarter results in early 2023, Moody’s Investor Service, a credit rating agency took notice . In early March, it said that SVB was at high risk for a downgrade due to its significant unrealized losses.

In response, SVB looked to sell $2 billion of its investments at a loss to help boost liquidity for its struggling balance sheet. Soon, more hedge funds and venture investors realized SVB could be on thin ice. Depositors withdrew funds in droves, spurring a liquidity squeeze and prompting California regulators and the FDIC to step in and shut down the bank.

What Happens Now?

While much of SVB’s activity was focused on the tech sector, the bank’s shocking collapse has rattled a financial sector that is already on edge.

The four biggest U.S. banks lost a combined $52 billion the day before the SVB collapse. On Friday, other banking stocks saw double-digit drops, including Signature Bank (-23%), First Republic (-15%), and Silvergate Capital (-11%).

Name Stock Price Change, March 10 2023 Unrealized Losses / Tangible Equity
SVB Financial -60%* -99%
First Republic Bank -15% -29%
Zions Bancorp -2% -47%
Comerica -5% -47%
U.S. Bancorp -4% -55%
Fifth Third Bancorp -4% -38%
Bank of America -1% -54%
Wells Fargo 1% -33%
JPMorgan -1% -21%

Source: Morningstar Direct. *Represents March 9 data, trading halted on March 10.

When the dust settles, it’s hard to predict the ripple effects that will emerge from this dramatic event. For investors, the Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen announced confidence in the banking system remaining resilient, noting that regulators have the proper tools in response to the issue.

But others have seen trouble brewing as far back as 2020 (or earlier) when commercial banking assets were skyrocketing and banks were buying bonds when rates were low.

The whole sector is in crisis, and the banks and investors that support these assets are going to have to figure out what to do. -Christopher Whalen, The Institutional Risk Analyst

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