America is the immigration capital of the world.
In fact, there are more immigrants living in the U.S. than the next four countries combined: the United Kingdom, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.
This begs the question: how many immigrants are in the U.S.?
The answer: over 46 million people.
While that’s impressive, framing it this other way is more astounding: 20% of all global migrants call the U.S. home.
Immigrants in the U.S. come from over 200 countries, but the vast majority of new arrivals hail from four key countries: Mexico, India, China, and the Philippines.
As we will see in the sections below, immigrants from these countries have built multi-generational businesses, created indelible works of art, and fueled economic growth across all 50 states.
Perhaps more significantly, they have opened the door for countless more immigrants to join them on their journey.
Whether you’re already living in America or still planning your arrival, in this article we’ll go through the leading immigrant population groups standing beside you.
Challenges of Migrating to the U.S.
Statistics tell a story, but they don’t tell the whole story.
Though numbers provide a sense of scope, they don’t show what goes behind it all.
Therefore, it’s essential to remember the full experience of immigrants in the U.S. Only after that, can we zoom out to examine the bigger picture.
Before we proceed, we would like to briefly review the many challenges immigrants face—and consistently overcome.
1. Immigration Process
Patience and paperwork: these are the hallmarks of the immigration process.
Frequently described as “tedious” and even “inequitable,” U.S. immigration law is taxing to everyone who endures it.
While the green card lottery Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) program awards citizenship for up to 50,000 immigrants a year, many applicants have to wait far longer for approval—sometimes several years or longer.
Tip: to speed up your visa process, consider requesting premium processing. This service is offered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to expedite certain immigration petitions.
2. Language Barriers
After navigating the visa process, an equally formidable challenge enters the picture: getting comfortable with a new language.
Learning English can be very challenging and time-consuming, as it requires many hours of work, study, and refinement.
However, while language barriers seem insurmountable at first, they can be conquered, as millions of immigrants have demonstrated.
Two decades ago, academics estimated a three to five year journey to attaining English proficiency—but that estimate was made long before digital learning apps made it more attainable.
Tip: when it comes to learning English, immersion is essential.
Enroll in classes (Babbel is top-rated), use free mobile apps (like Duolingo), and get plugged into popular culture wherever you can. As we discuss in our English fluency guide, language-learning can be both fast and fun.
3. Building Credit
When you arrive in the United States, your credit history effectively restarts.
While your financial records overseas will be preserved, they won’t have much clout here in the U.S.
Therefore, you will need to jumpstart your credit journey in America so you can do things like get a mortgage, buy a car, or rent an apartment.
As experienced by many (and not only immigrants), the U.S. credit system can be daunting.
So, how can you build credit? We have a few suggestions.
Tip: we put together this complete guide to the U.S. credit system, so you can get a better grasp of the ground rules here.
When you’re ready, we also recommend checking out the 7 ways to build credit as an immigrant in the United States. Finally, be sure to read our guide for credit builder credit cards—the ideal financial tool for recent immigrants.
4. Employment Obstacles
Getting a job is never easy, and it’s one of the biggest hurdles immigrants must overcome.
As you might expect, landing your first job in a new country can take time. That’s especially true if you don’t already have a network of friends and family in the U.S. to help you get started.
Plus, many high-skilled immigrants are underemployed for a tragic reason: their certifications and qualifications simply get lost in translation in America.
That’s why roughly 25% of immigrants with foreign degrees and credentials are either underemployed or unemployed—by no fault of their own.
Tip: the digital age has made finding a job easier than ever.
For example, organizations like Upwardly Global strive to eliminate barriers for highly-skilled immigrants and integrate them with employment opportunities.
Plus, while it’s smart to keep looking for the right job, it’s equally wise to upskill and reskill wherever possible.
One more thing: don’t forget that you can also start your own business, as millions of immigrant entrepreneurs have proven. To help you in this journey, we’ve put together a guide to start your business.
5. Family Separation
Homesickness is real.
When you first arrive in America, your attention will center on things like getting settled and finding work. However, after your first few weeks in the country, the pangs of nostalgia and melancholy will hit.
This is totally normal and part of the adjustment process.
Rest assured, it will get better with time.
Tip: during your first few weeks of separation, it’s very important that you take care of yourself, exercise when possible, and sleep as much as you can.
While staying in touch with your friends and family back home, make an effort to meet your neighbors and other expats living nearby. As we discuss in our article on how to adapt to living in the U.S., finding your local community goes a long way to making America feel like home.
When you “get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” you will reap the rewards of your bravery.
And don’t forget: you can easily support your loved ones overseas with uLink. When you use the all-new uLink app, you can send money in a matter of minutes, to almost anywhere in the world.
What the Numbers Say
It’s a historic time in the United States.
As of 2023, over 13% of the nation’s residents were foreign-born. Within that number, immigrants are visible in almost every sector of the economy, representing 22.8% of STEM workers, 22.2% of entrepreneurs, and 15.2% of nurses.
Beyond their economic contributions, immigrants are the heart and soul of America’s diverse neighborhoods and communities.
While they arrive from all around the world, the majority of the nation’s immigrant population comes from the following four countries.
Mexico
Nearly one in four adult immigrants in the United States comes from Mexico.
While nearly 11 million Mexican immigrants live in America today, they have come to the U.S. for well over a century.
Beginning in the early 1900s, violent revolution drove tens of thousands of Mexicans to seek a new life in America. Later, from 1910 to 1930, the number of Mexican immigrants tripled to 600,000.
These early immigrants settled predominantly in El Paso, Texas—the Ellis Island of the region.
As of 2024, Mexican immigrants live all across the country, though most live in California (36%), Texas (22%), Illinois (6%), and Arizona (5%).
While fueling the economy, Mexican immigrants are at the vanguard of modern culture with beloved figures like Carlos Santana (musician), Salma Hayek (actress), Cesar Milan (the famed Dog Whisperer), Guillermo del Toro (Oscar-winning film director), among countless others.
Mexican immigration explains why America is called the “nation of nations.” Unfortunately, the modern media groups diverse populations into a single category. This tendency blurs cultural lines that are distinct in every way.
To that end, Mexicans are not the only Hispanic population in America.
While Mexicans represent 53% of Hispanic immigrants in America, it’s important to note that many other groups are part of the picture. For example, one in six Hispanic immigrants (17%) are from Central America, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Another 16% of Hispanic immigrants come from across South America, including Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru.
India
Over six percent of immigrants in the United States come from India, the second largest immigrant group in the country.
While nearly three million Indian immigrants live in America today, they have been settling in the United States for more than 200 years.
In the early 1800s, Indian migrants settled in communities along the West Coast, where they found work in the railroad and agricultural industries.
Unfortunately, stringent laws in the early 20th century effectively banned Indian immigrants altogether. Eventually, these ordinances were reversed under the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which abolished quotas and welcomed non-European arrivals.
As of 2024, Indian immigrants live in all 50 states, with the strongest representation in California (20%), Texas (11%), New Jersey (10%), and New York and Illinois (which combine for 13% of the Indian-born population).
Indian nationals account for 36% of immigrant business ownership in high-tech sectors and are the leading country of origin behind immigrant-founded, billion-dollar (unicorn) companies in America.
Famous Indian-born CEOs include Sundar Pichai (Google), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Neal Mohan (YouTube), and Shantung Narayen (Adobe), among many others.
It’s hard to imagine the modern United States without Indian immigration.
China
Nearly five percent of immigrants in the United States come from China, making them the third largest constituency in the country.
As of 2023, there were nearly 2.5 million Chinese immigrants living in America, most of whom were born in the special administrative regions of Macau and Hong Kong.
Chinese immigration has a long history in America. In the 1850s, many Chinese immigrants arrived to capitalize on the California gold rush, and later, the building of the Central Pacific Railroad in the 1860s.
While Chinese immigrants settled on both coasts (predominantly in San Francisco and New York City), the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act halted the arrival of Chinese workers until the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act mercifully reversed course.
Today, well over half of all Chinese immigrants live in two states: New York (19%) and California (32%). Other major metropolitan areas, including Boston, Seattle, and Chicago, boast over 100,000 Chinese immigrants.
Success stories of Chinese immigration include David Chu (fashion designer behind Nautica), Peng Zhao (CEO of Citadel Securities), Daniel Tsui (winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics), and Andrew Cherng (co-founder of Panda Express), among many others.
Philippines
Over four percent of immigrants in the United States come from the Philippines, securing them the fourth highest ranking.
As of last year, there were nearly 2 million Filipino immigrants in America—up a staggering 400% from the 1980 census.
By 1990, the Philippines was officially the second-largest origin country for immigrants, before it was surpassed by China and India over the following two decades.
Nevertheless, Filipinos have lived in America long before it was called the “United States of America.” In fact, Filipinos first landed in Southern California in 1587 and later built settlements in Louisiana around 1763.
Later, after the U.S. annexed the Philippine archipelago in 1898, multiple waves of Filipino immigrants arrived stateside to work in a variety of industries, including sugarcane plantations in Hawaii and fruit farms in California.
Today, the vast majority of Filipino immigrants live in California (42%), while the second largest constituency lives in Hawaii (6%). In the states of New York, Illinois, and Texas, roughly 18% of the Filipino immigrant population are represented.
Notable Filipino immigration stories include Lea Salonga (Tony Award and Olivier Award winning artist), Manny Pacquiao (boxing world champion), and Jose Antonio Vargas (Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist), among many others.
Stay Close to Home With uLink
As you can see, immigrants from all around the globe have succeeded in America.
While the statistics from each country vary, the stories are nearly universal.
As we saw in our spotlight on inspiring immigrant entrepreneurs, people travel from far and wide to come to America. Though faced with tremendous obstacles, their vision of a better future empowers them to overcome anything that stands in their way.
That’s true for immigrants in the U.S. who come from Mexico, India, China, the Philippines, and the hundreds of other nations that choose to call America home.
At uLink, we’re dedicated to helping you support your loved ones overseas.
With great exchange rates and fees as low as $0, you can send more money home than ever before.
