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

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.

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%.