Every year, the United States welcomes a diverse array of immigrants, each with unique motivations for their journey, spanning tourists to refugees. Over time, the composition of immigrants, their origins, and reasons for coming to the US have shifted.
In recent years, immigration trends have seen significant changes. For instance, in 2015, the US issued 987,894 student visas, but by 2018, this number had decreased by 27.6% to 714,885. Conversely, work visas, including skilled and unskilled labor, increased by 16.4% during the same period, rising from 762,473 to 887,528.
Asylum seekers and refugees, those fleeing danger or persecution, constitute a smaller portion of immigrants. In 2018, 61,092 refugees and asylees resettled in the US, a 42.2% decline from the 105,350 admitted in 2016.
By 2018, the United States was home to 44.7 million foreign-born residents, making up 13.6% of the total population. Notably, in the same year, the naturalized citizen population surpassed immigrants without citizenship for the first time in history. This dynamic immigration landscape reflects diverse motivations, from education to work opportunities and safety, prompting people to make the US their new home.
