There are more immigrants living in the USA than in any other country. The most recent Census data reports that over 45 million immigrants live in the US, including 10.7 million people from Mexico – the top source country for immigrants in the United States. The rest of the top 10 countries of origin for immigrants living in the USA are #2 India (2.71 million); #3 China (2.38 million); #4 Philippines (1.98 million); #5 El Salvador (1.42 million); #6 Vietnam 1.34 million); #7 Cuba (1.28 million); #8 Dominican Republic (1.26 million); #9 Guatemala (1.11 million); and #10 South Korea (1.01 million). Why do people immigrate to the United States? Some of the major reasons for US immigration include looking for better job opportunities, escaping persecution or violence, joining family members who are living in the USA, and global climate change. Which states are attracting the most immigrants? The state with the biggest immigrant population is California, which has 10.5 million immigrants out of an overall population of 39.2 million people. Texas is home to 5.1 million immigrants out of a population of 29.5 million residents. Florida has 4.6 million immigrants out of 21.87 million people. There are 4.4 million immigrants living in the State of New York, which has a total population of 19.8 million residents. The Bush Institute published a study that found many immigrants will ultimately relocate from the major gateway cities (like New York, Los Angeles and Miami) to other locations where they can find affordable housing, other family members, plentiful job openings, and policies that are favorable toward immigrants. To read more, click here!

Fifteen percent of US Congressmen and Senators are immigrants or the children of immigrants, according to a Pew Research Center study. This is similar to the percentage of immigrants living in the USA. Eighteen Members of the American House of Representatives and one US Senator were born outside of the United States or one or more of their parents was foreign-born. The majority of immigrants or immigrant children serving in the US Congress have their roots in Central America (30 percent), Europe (26 percent) or The Caribbean (16 percent). Mexican heritage and Cuban heritage respectively are the most common for Members of Congress who are immigrants or who are the children of immigrants. There are also Members of Congress with recent immigrant roots in Germany, India, South Korea, Canada, Taiwan and Lithuania among other countries. The regions of the United States with the most Members of Congress with recent immigrant heritage are the West, followed by the South, the Northeast and the Midwest. To read more, click here!

November 2022 was a good month for US job creation, with employers hiring 263,000 workers, according to the Labor Department. This was higher than the 200,000 US jobs analysts had forecast for the month. The Department of Labor also reported that the national unemployment rate was 3.7% in November, which is the lowest in five decades. Furthermore, people working in the USA were earning 5.1% more in average hourly wages during November 2022 compared with November 2021. The Leisure & Hospitality sector added 88,000 jobs in the USA during November, healthcare filled 45,000 positions and the Government hired 42,000 new employees. The Social Assistance sector produced 23,000 new jobs in America, the construction industry hired 20,000 workers, 19,000 Information Technology professionals found jobs in the US, and Manufacturing filled 14,000 roles in November. Demand for workers continues to exceed the supply, so many employers are offering higher wages to fill US job vacancies they have advertised. As a chief global strategist described it, the US job market is “hot, hot, hot.” On average, the economy has been creating about 392,000 jobs in America every month. To read more, click here!

When choosing where to live in the USA, there are many factors to consider. Over 100 cities across the United States were recently evaluated based on factors such as having jobs that pay well, affordable housing, quality healthcare, good schools, and standard of living. The top 50 best cities to live in America for 2022 were then ranked. Coming in 1st place is Huntsville, Alabama, which has a population around 464,607 and an average yearly salary of $58,730. Second place went to Colorado Springs, Colorado, which has about 735,480 residents and an average salary of $55,540 per year. Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a population of around 320,827 and an average yearly income of $50,020, came in 3rd place in the rankings. Boulder, Colorado, with an average salary of $70,450 per year and approximately 324,682 residents, was ranked as the #4 best place to live in the USA. Located in California’s high-tech Silicon Valley, #5 San Jose has about 1,985,926 people and an average yearly salary of $93,450. Other top 10 cities to live in the US are #6 Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; #7 Fayetteville, Arkansas; #8 Portland, Maine; #9 Sarasota, Florida; and #10 San Francisco, California. To read about all 50 top US cities, click here!

On August 5, 2022, the Department of Labor reported that the economy created 528,000 jobs in the USA during July. This was over twice the number of US jobs economists had forecast for the month. The Labor Department also reported that the unemployment rate fell to only 3.5 percent, after hovering at 3.6 percent during the last four months. The unemployment rate in the United States is now tied for being the lowest in over 50 years (since 1969). July was the 19th month in a row for non-stop US job creation. The leisure and hospitality sector produced a robust 96,000 jobs in America, followed by professional and business services with 89,000 positions filled, healthcare with 70,000 hired, government with 57,000 workers added, while US jobs in construction increased by 32,000, the manufacturing industry hired 30,000 new employees and an additional 22,000 people were working in the US retail sector. The government agency noted that the number of people working in the USA is higher than in February 2020, when the global pandemic started to affect the economy. To read more, click here!

Many people leave their jobs in the US because they lack opportunities for career advancement; however, these 25 companies facilitate the career growth of their employees. If you are thinking about living and working in the USA, then you may want to consider employment with these top companies. According to a recent ranking of employers, the #1 place to work in America for career advancement is Boston Consulting Group, which is a management consulting firm. One employee stated that this company expects its employees to have a growth mindset and invests in giving its employees opportunities for development and learning. The Amazon Consumer technology firm is described by an employee as a place that really cares about its employees, their opportunities to reach personal goals for their careers, and their satisfaction with employment. An employee at RingCentral, a software company, said that workers feel valued and supported by everyone. Some of the other top businesses for US career growth include Insight Global (recruitment and staffing), Medallia (software), ZipRecruiter (employment), Adobe (software), SentinelOne (cybersecurity), Qualtrics (market research), GoDaddy (platform that hosts websites), and Sunrun (environment and renewables). To read about more top places to work in the US, click here!

There are over 11 million US job vacancies, but not enough workers to fill them, which places job seekers in a stronger bargaining position with employers. Not only are US job seekers looking for employment that pays well, but many are also seeking other things, like a better quality of life, good health and inclusion. A recent study ranked the top places to live in America for 2022, focusing on ratings of the 50 states for life, health and inclusion. According to this analysis, Vermont is the best state to live in the US, with its strengths being healthcare, air quality, childcare, and voting rights. The state of Maine came in second place, with its strongest points being childcare, low crime rate and voting rights. Hawaii is the third best state to live in America, particularly in terms of good health, low crime rate, and good air quality. Other US states listed among the top 10 places to live in the USA for 2022 are: #4 North Dakota, #5 Minnesota; #6 Washington; #7 Nebraska; #8 Oregon and New Jersey (tied); and #10 Iowa. To read more, click here!

When you apply for jobs in the USA, it is important to include hard skills and soft skills on your resume that show that you are the perfect match for the position. Examples of hard skills include computer software you know how to use, foreign languages you speak, or specialized equipment you can operate – among many others. According to experts in the career field, 93% of US employers are looking for workers who possess these high-demand soft skills: communication skills, good scheduling abilities, time management skills, project management experience, analytical thinking, being able to work independently, and flexibility. There are 6.1 million postings for jobs in America that list communication skills as an important soft skill that applicants should have. To read more, click here!

In July 2022, CNBC.com released the results of its evaluation of the US states with the best environments for business. Each of the 50 states was assessed based on 88 measures that were grouped into 10 larger categories. The 10 major categories were: workforce; infrastructure; cost of doing business; economy; health, life, and inclusion; innovation and technology; business friendliness; cost of living; access to capital; and education. Each states could receive a maximum score of 2,500 points and a “letter grade” was also given for each of the 10 major categories (A = Excellent, B = Very Good, C = Satisfactory, D = Below Average, and F = Failure). According to the evaluation, the top 10 best states for business in 2022 are: #1 North Carolina, #2 Washington, #3 Virginia, #4 Colorado, #5 Texas, #6 Tennessee, #7 Nebraska, #8 Utah, #9 Minnesota, and #10 Georgia. The top state for business, North Carolina, also came in 1st place for its economy and received the following grades for each category: economy = A+; innovation and technology = A+; cost of living = A; education = B+; workforce = B+; cost of doing business = B; infrastructure = B-; cost of living = C+; business friendliness = C; and health, life and inclusion = C-. The report also noted that North Carolina has a very low unemployment rate of 3.4 percent (May 2022); the maximum corporate tax rate is only 2.5 percent; and the maximum state income tax rate for individuals is just 4.99 percent. To read more and see the ranking of all 50 states, click here!

One of the most prized benefits that US Permanent Residents enjoy is the opportunity to become an American citizen. As a Permanent Resident of the United States (i.e., a Green Card holder), you have most of the same benefits possessed by American citizens. For example, you can live in any of the 50 states, work in the US legally, attend educational programs, buy a home, start a business, travel to and from the USA, etc. There are additional benefits, however, that you can receive once you become an American citizen. For example, an American citizen can receive a US passport, which can make it easier to travel the world. When you become an American citizen, your children also have the opportunity to receive US citizenship. American citizens can vote in elections as well as run for political office (except President of the United States). Many naturalized American citizens have become members of the US Congress and a famous immigrant actor from Austria became the governor of California. Although Green Card holders can legally work in the USA, there are some jobs that only American citizens can apply for, such as certain government jobs. Furthermore, an American citizen cannot be deported. In order to become an American citizen, a Green Card holder must generally be at least 18 years of age and must have lived in the USA at least five years (only three years in some cases). Another requirement is to have basic knowledge about US history and government. An immigrant is not required to know the English language to become a US Permanent Resident, however, an immigrant must demonstrate that he or she can read, write, speak and understand English to become an American citizen. To read more, click here!