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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:

RankCountryImmigrant Visas Issued (2021)
#1🇲🇽 Mexico40,597
#2🇨🇳 China18,501
#3🇩🇴 Dominican Republic17,941
#4🇵🇭 Philippines15,862
#5🇦🇫 Afghanistan10,784
#6🇻🇳 Vietnam10,458
#7🇮🇳 India9,275
#8🇸🇻 El Salvador7,813
#9🇵🇰 Pakistan7,213
#10🇧🇩 Bangladesh5,503
#11🇳🇵 Nepal5,342
#12🇪🇨 Ecuador5,061
#13🇳🇬 Nigeria4,990
#14🇨🇴 Colombia4,785
#15🇾🇪 Yemen 4,770
#16🇯🇲 Jamaica4,375
#17🇭🇹 Haiti3,799
#18🇲🇦 Morocco3,585
#19🇨🇺 Cuba3,232
#20🇳🇮 Nicaragua3,216
#21🇭🇳 Honduras3,180
#22🇨🇲 Cameroon3,048
#23🇺🇦 Ukraine3,019
#24🇰🇷 South Korea2,954
#25🇮🇷 Iran2,802
#26🇯🇴 Jordan2,785
#27🇬🇹 Guatemala2,717
#28🇬🇾 Guyana2,650
#29🇧🇷 Brazil2,423
#30🇪🇹 Ethiopia2,402
#31🇪🇬 Egypt 2,230
#32🇬🇭 Ghana2,216
#33🇻🇪 Venezuela2,031
#34🇩🇿 Algeria 1,922
#35🇬🇧 United Kingdom1,897
#36🇦🇱 Albania 1,794
#37🇹🇼 Taiwan1,775
#38🇵🇪 Peru1,772
#39🇰🇪 Kenya1,612
#40🇰🇭 Cambodia1,586
#41🇱🇧 Lebanon1,543
#42🇸🇱 Sierra Leone1,481
#43🇨🇦 Canada1,464
#44🇯🇵 Japan1,401
#45🇹🇷 Turkey1,361
#46🇹🇭 Thailand1,221
#47🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo1,203
#48🇷🇺 Russia1,154
#49🇩🇪 Germany1,086
#50🇦🇲 Armenia992
#51🇹🇬 Togo 989
#52🇵🇱 Poland942
#53🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire924
#54🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR838
#55🇱🇷 Liberia803
#56🇱🇰 Sri Lanka799
#57🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago793
#58🇧🇾 Belarus 787
#59🇸🇩 Sudan 783
#60🇸🇾 Syria757
#61🇸🇴 Somalia724
#62🇮🇩 Indonesia714
#63🇷🇴 Romania706
#64🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia701
#65🇬🇪 Georgia652
#66🇧🇴 Bolivia642
#67🇫🇷 France622
#67🇮🇹 Italy622
#69🇲🇩 Moldova611
#70🇦🇷 Argentina608
#71🇿🇦 South Africa599
#72🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates598
#73🇨🇻 Cabo Verde597
#74🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan592
#75🇲🇲 Myanmar587
#76🇰🇿 Kazakhstan584
#77🇮🇶 Iraq579
#78🇸🇳 Senegal566
#79🇿🇼 Zimbabwe543
#80🇨🇷 Costa Rica537
#81🇫🇯 Fiji 522
#82🇽🇰 Kosovo520
#83🇺🇿 Uzbekistan513
#84🇦🇺 Australia505
#85🇬🇳 Guinea500
#86🇧🇬 Bulgaria493
#87🇬🇲 The Gambia484
#88🇲🇰 North Macedonia472
#89🇮🇱 Israel471
#90🇹🇯 Tajikistan444
#91🇨🇱 Chile416
#92🇰🇼 Kuwait412
#93🇪🇸 Spain410
#94🇪🇷 Eritrea371
#95🇵🇦 Panama363
#96🇲🇳 Mongolia355
#97🇧🇯 Benin343
#98🇲🇾 Malaysia330
#99🇷🇸 Serbia328
#100🇦🇿 Azerbaijan308
#101🇧🇸 The Bahamas303
#102🇹🇿 Tanzania301
#103🇹🇳 Tunisia 298
#104🇱🇨 Saint Lucia292
#105🇷🇼 Rwanda291
#106🇹🇲 Turkmenistan284
#107🇺🇬 Uganda 281
#108🇩🇲 Dominica279
#109🇧🇿 Belize278
#110🇧🇫 Burkina Faso259
#111🇱🇾 Libya233
#112🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina231
#112🇬🇩 Grenada231
#114🇮🇪 Ireland213
#115🇳🇿 New Zealand205
#116🇭🇺 Hungary203
#117🇲🇱 Mali196
#118🇶🇦 Qatar190
#119🇳🇱 Netherlands182
#120🇱🇹 Lithuania177
#121🇧🇧 Barbados170
#122🇬🇷 Greece168
#123🇿🇲 Zambia152
#124🇸🇬 Singapore148
#124🇲🇪 Montenegro148
#126🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda146
#127🇺🇾 Uruguay144
#128🇨🇭 Switzerland142
#129🇱🇻 Latvia131
#130🇸🇪 Sweden123
#131🇵🇹 Portugal120
#132🇧🇪 Belgium114
#133🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines113
#134🇳🇪 Niger112
#135🇵🇾 Paraguay111
#136🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo108
#137🇨🇿 Czech Republic105
#138🇦🇹 Austria104
#139🇧🇮 Burundi98
#140🇭🇷 Croatia96
#141🇫🇮 Finland89
#142🇩🇯 Djibouti80
#142🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis80
#144🇸🇰 Slovakia77
#145🇧🇭 Bahrain66
#146🇲🇼 Malawi65
#147🇲🇷 Mauritania62
#148🇹🇩 Chad57
#149🇦🇴 Angola52
#150🇬🇦 Gabon49
#151🇪🇪 Estonia48
#152🇸🇷 Suriname45
#153🇸🇸 South Sudan41
#153🇹🇴 Tonga41
#155🇴🇲 Oman38
#156🇲🇬 Madagascar36
#156🇩🇰 Denmark36
#156🇮🇸 Iceland36
#159🇧🇹 Bhutan35
#159🇧🇲 Bermuda35
#161🇸🇮 Slovenia32
#162🇨🇾 Cyprus28
#163🇳🇴 Norway23
#164🇨🇫 Central African Republic22
#165🇧🇼 Botswana21
#165🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands21
#167🇲🇴 Macau SAR20
#168🇱🇦 Laos11
#168🇲🇫 Saint Martin11
#168🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands11
#171🇲🇿 Mozambique10
#171🇳🇦 Namibia 10
#171🇦🇮 Anguilla10
#174🇲🇺 Mauritius9
#174🇸🇽 Sint Maarten9
#174🇼🇸 Samoa9
#177🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau8
#177🇰🇵 North Korea8
#177🇨🇼 Curaçao8
#180🇰🇾 Cayman Islands7
#181🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea6
#182🇲🇹 Malta5
#182🇦🇼 Aruba5
#184🇱🇸 Lesotho4
#184🇧🇳 Brunei4
#186🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea3
#186🇲🇸 Montserrat3
#188🇸🇿 Eswatini2
#188🇲🇻 Maldives2
#188🇵🇫 French Polynesia2
#188🇬🇮 Gibraltar2
#188🇱🇺 Luxembourg2
#188🇫🇲 Federated Sates of Micronesia2
#194🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe1
#194🇹🇱 Timor-Leste1
#194🇳🇨 New Caledonia1
#194🇲🇨 Monaco1
#194🇨🇽 Christmas Island1
#194🇲🇭 Marshall Islands1
#194🇵🇼 Palau1
#194🇸🇧 Solomon Islands1
#194🇻🇺 Vanuatu1
#203🇰🇲 Comoros0
#203🇪🇭 Western Sahara0
#203🇸🇨 Seychelles0
#203🇦🇩 Andorra0
#203🇫🇴 Faroe Islands0
#203🇬🇱 Greenland0
#203🇹🇫 French Southern and Antarctic Lands0
#203🇧🇱 St. Barthelemy0
#203🇵🇲 St. Pierre and Miquelon0
#203🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna0
#203🇮🇴 British Indian Ocean Territory0
#203🇫🇰 Falkland Islands0
#203🇵🇳 Pitcairn0
#203🇸🇭 St. Helena0
#203🇬🇸 South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands0
#203🇱🇮 Liechtenstein0
#203Northern Ireland (DV Only)0
#203🇸🇯 Svalbard0
#203🇸🇲 San Marino0
#203🇻🇦 Vatican City 0
#203🇨🇨 Cocos (Keeling) Islands0
#203🇳🇫 Norfolk Island0
#203🇰🇮 Kiribati0
#203🇳🇷 Nauru0
#203🇨🇰 Cook Islands0
#203🇳🇺 Niue0
#203🇹🇰 Tokelau0
#203🇹🇻 Tuvalu0
Total285,069

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:

RankRegionImmigrant Visas Issued (2021)
#1Asia 111,419
#2North America91,919
#3Africa35,776
#4Europe 23,972
#5South America20,688
#6Oceania1,295

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:

YearImmigrant Visas Issued Worldwide % Change Year-over-Year
2012482,300-
2013473,115-1.9%
2014467,370-1.2%
2015531,463+13.7%
2016617,752+16.2%
2017559,536-9.4%
2018533,557-4.6%
2019462,422-13.3%
2020240,526-48.0%
2021285,069+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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Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, by Country

This graphic shows the gap in portfolio return expectations between investors and advisors around the world, revealing a range of market outlooks.

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Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, by Country

Visualizing Portfolio Return Expectations, by Country

This was originally posted on Advisor Channel. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on financial markets that help advisors and their clients.

How do investors’ return expectations differ from those of advisors? How does this expectation gap shift across countries?

Despite 2022 being the worst year for stock markets in over a decade, investors around the world appear confident about the long-term performance of their portfolios. These convictions point towards resilience across global economies, driven by strong labor markets and moderating inflation.

While advisors are optimistic, their expectations are more conservative overall.

This graphic shows the return expectation gap by country between investors and financial professionals in 2023, based on data from Natixis.

Expectation Gap by Country

Below, we show the return expectation gap by country, based on a survey of 8,550 investors and 2,700 financial professionals:

Long-Term Annual
Return Expectations
InvestorsFinancial
Professionals
Expectations Gap
🇺🇸 U.S.15.6%7.0%2.2X
🇨🇱 Chile15.1%14.5%1.0X
🇲🇽 Mexico14.7%14.0%1.1X
🇸🇬 Singapore14.5%14.2%1.0X
🇯🇵 Japan13.6%8.7%1.6X
🇦🇺 Australia12.5%6.9%1.8X
🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR12.4%7.6%1.6X
🇨🇦 Canada10.6%6.5%1.6X
🇪🇸 Spain10.6%7.6%1.4X
🇩🇪 Germany10.1%7.0%1.4X
🇮🇹 Italy9.6%6.3%1.5X
🇨🇭 Switzerland9.6%6.9%1.4X
🇫🇷 France8.9%6.6%1.3X
🇬🇧 UK8.1%6.2%1.3X
🌐 Global12.8%9.0%1.4X

Investors in the U.S. have the highest long-term annual return expectations, at 15.6%. The U.S. also has the highest expectations gap across countries, with investors’ expectations more than double that of advisors.

Likely influencing investor convictions are the outsized returns seen in the last decade, led by big tech. This year is no exception, as a handful of tech giants are seeing soaring returns, lifting the overall market.

From a broader perspective, the S&P 500 has returned 11.5% on average annually since 1928.

Following next in line were investors in Chile and Mexico with return expectations of 15.1% and 14.7%, respectively. Unlike many global markets, the MSCI Chile Index posted double-digit returns in 2022.

Global financial hub, Singapore, has the lowest expectations gap across countries.

Investors in the UK and Europe, have the most moderate return expectations overall. Confidence has been weighed down by geopolitical tensions, high interest rates, and dismal economic data.

Return Expectations Across Asset Classes

What are the expected returns for different asset classes over the next decade?

A separate report by Vanguard used a quantitative model to forecast returns through to 2033. For U.S. equities, it projects 4.1-6.1% in annualized returns. Global equities are forecast to have 6.4-8.4% returns, outperforming U.S. stocks over the next decade.

Bonds, meanwhile, are forecast to see 3.6-4.6% annualized returns for the U.S. aggregate market, while U.S. Treasuries are projected to average 3.3-4.3% annually.

While it’s impossible to predict the future, we can see a clear expectation gap not only between countries, but between advisors, clients, and other models. Factors such as inflation, interest rates, and the ability for countries to weather economic headwinds will likely have a significant influence on future portfolio returns.

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