Last year, a total of 1.062 million people obtained Green Cards, becoming permanent residents of the United States. Among them, Mexicans accounted for 14%, ranking first. Individuals born in China accounted for 8.2% of new permanent residents, totaling 87,016 people, ranking second, an increase of 23% compared to 2010. Following closely behind, India was the third-ranked immigrant country, with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issuing 69,013 Green Cards to Indian nationals. The Philippines ranked fourth.
The 2011 Annual Flow Report on Permanent Residents released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the 9th shows that the number of Green Cards issued to Chinese nationals by the United States has been rising year by year. In 2009, 64,238 individuals born in China obtained permanent residency, accounting for 5.7% of new permanent residents that year; in 2010, 70,863 individuals born in China obtained Green Cards, accounting for 6.8%. By 2011, this number increased to 87,016, accounting for 8.2%.
Of the 1.06 million new permanent residents last year, the majority (55%) were already living in the United States. Furthermore, nearly 65% of new Green Card holders last year were family-sponsored immigrants, meaning they immigrated based on their relationships with permanent resident or U.S. citizen relatives.
