According to statistics from the Pew Research Center, Mexico is the country from which most immigrants to the United States are leaving.
The Pew Research Center estimates that just under 1 out of 4 immigrants to the United States hail from Mexico.
When one counts the immigrants from all of the Caribbean, Central America and South America, they make up close to half of the entire immigrant population in this country.
Other countries from which the United States draws many immigrants include India, China, Korea and Vietnam.
The countries that formally formed the Soviet Union represented Europe on the list of the most common countries of origin for immigrants. Overall, the United States still draws more immigrants from Europe than it does from Africa and the Middle East.
People from some countries face practical challenges with immigrating
Under the modern immigration system, where immigrants come from is mostly a matter of curiosity. Who can and cannot come to the United States is no longer decided based directly on the person’s country of origin.
However, there are still in most cases caps both on the number of visas and the number of green cards the United States will grant in a year. These caps can affect countries disproportionately.
For example, according to the National Immigration Forum, people from the Marshall Islands, a tiny country that is far from being on the list of the top countries of origin for American immigrants, receive the same number of green cards as people from India.
The result is that immigrants from countries like Mexico, India, China and Vietnam all face significant backlogs for receiving green cards.
The United States immigration system may well have room to improve in this area. In the meantime, those in New Jersey who are looking to adjust their status or apply for permanent residency may want to understand their legal options.
