Immigration to the United States

The United States is known around the world as one of the most important immigration destinations and has become famous as the land of opportunity. To date, more than 50 million people from all over the world have immigrated to this country. With the exception of a small population of Native Americans (American Indians), immigrants make up the main body of this country. At present, nearly 20% of the world's entire immigrant population lives in the United States. With the beginning of the twentieth century, the immigrant population of the United States grew dramatically, and by the end of 1920 more than 13 million immigrants had settled in the country. Between 2000 and 2010 (ten years), about 14 million people immigrated to this country. About 37% of the total immigrant population who have immigrated to the United States are Iranian; although during Donald Trump's presidency the ability of Iranians to immigrate to this country faced many restrictions, it is again expected that the rate of Iranian immigration to the country can return to normal. There are many reasons for immigrating to the United States, one of the most important being the influence of the capitalist system, which creates an opportunity for everyone to achieve success and wealth through a new idea or a different management approach, something not possible even in European countries. The United States' very strong education system is another of the country's powerful attractions; more than 800.000 foreign students immigrate to the country each year to continue their studies. Most of the world's top-ranked universities are located in this country, and in almost every state you can find a university with a single- or double-digit world ranking.

The United States has a varied climate, owing to the geographical location of its states. Your experience of the country's climate will depend on where you live. The experience of someone living in Alaska will be very different from that of someone living in California. In Alaska the climate is cold and polar, in Florida and Hawaii the climate is tropical, on the coast of California the climate is Mediterranean, and in the south there is a dry climate. The climate of the United States is divided into six categories: Northwest, Midwest, Southwest, Southeast, Northeast and the Great Plains.

In 2020, the public health system of the United States scored 70.2 out of 100 in the world. The country's healthcare system is one of the most debated in the world, and most of its residents are dissatisfied with it. Hospital bills in this country are one of the causes of personal bankruptcy. Public healthcare is only available to citizens and permanent residents and at a certain age, and even its coverage is limited. It is the private sector that runs most healthcare facilities. Healthcare services are very expensive. Because of this expense, health insurance is common among many immigrants and American citizens, which, of course, still does not mean that your visits to doctors will be free. Do not mistake the high cost of these healthcare services for low quality at all; on the contrary, there are many first-class hospitals and specialists in the United States ready to provide services to those who can afford the cost of these services. In 2017 alone, more than 12% of the entire US population lacked health insurance.

Types of US immigration visas

Read the complete list of visa types for immigrating to the United States. If you need consultation, you can fill in the free assessment form so that Iranoca's consultants can contact you at the earliest opportunity.

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Learn more about the United States!

In 2020, the United States ranked sixth among the countries of the world and ranked first in the world in the “Power” indicator. It also achieved twentieth place in terms of “Quality of Life”.

The United States of America is a constitutional federal republic made up of 50 states. Overall international, defence and domestic policies are set by the central government, but the states also enjoy relatively broad autonomy in legislation and enforcement. The US system is also run on a representative basis, with the two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives, responsible for legislation and protecting the rights of the people.

The US economy is capitalist, of the monopoly capitalism type, and in terms of gross domestic product it is the largest economy in the world and also the most powerful in terms of technology. The most important exports of the United States are computers and electrical machinery, vehicles, chemical products, food, live animals and military equipment; the United States also has the largest coal reserves in the world. In terms of trade volume, the United States is the largest importer in the world and, after Germany and China, the third largest exporter in the world. The largest partners of the United States are Canada, China, Mexico, Japan and Germany. In 2020, the country scored 99.3 out of 100 in the sub-indicator “Strong international alliances”, and earned 82.2 points in the sub-indicator “Good job market” and 73.3 points in “Economic stability”. Many of the world's economic giants were founded in the United States, among which Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Google, Tesla motors and Ford can be mentioned. The list of these pioneering and wealthy companies is much longer than the names mentioned, and all of them have a direct impact on the entire world economy. For the reasons mentioned, in 2020 the United States ranked third in the world in terms of “Entrepreneurship”, and its “Well-developed legal framework” scored 80 points.

This great entrepreneurial strength in the United States has attracted elites and people seeking progress and innovation from all over the world, and people view this country as an opportunity for change. It is worth mentioning that in 2020 the wealth of all the people of the United States reached 21.4 trillion dollars.

The United States is culturally and ethnically very diverse and has been shaped by great waves of immigration from Europe and beyond. American literature, art and music reflect the rich heritage of its people. The media industry of the United States, with its television shows, music and films broadcast and well received around the world, has its own global audiences and fans. The strong music and film industry of the United States is another attraction for artists from around the world. Some of these companies include: Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros, Columbia Records, 20th Century Studios, Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures.

Unlike the people of European countries, Americans have different and, so to speak, more relaxed social etiquette, and the reserved demeanour of Europeans is seen less in them. This in itself can be one of its attractions for Iranians; indeed, for this very reason some Iranians decide to immigrate to the United States after a few years of living in Europe.

In 2020, the “Public education system” of the United States scored 70.2 out of 100, and 67.9% of its people were educated. Today, the costs of education at the school and secondary levels in the United States are mostly paid by the government itself unless the school is private. This has resulted in almost 99% of Americans having at least basic literacy. American universities are a strong attraction of the country for immigrants; the United States is the only country in the world that hosts this number of the world's top universities, and of course the majority of these top-ranked universities have a long history. The distinctive education system of these universities attracts elites and educated people at various levels, among which Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton, Berkeley, Chicago, Pennsylvania and Yale can be mentioned.  In 2020 alone, five of the world's top ten universities were from this country. Valuing students and their intelligent minds and different outlooks is one of the priorities of these universities. Many applicants from international countries send their documents each year in the hope of being admitted to these universities.

All of the top-ranked universities in the United States offer financial aid and scholarship programmes for their students, and students in need can qualify for this financial aid by providing the required documents. It is worth noting that at the higher education levels, each level and its eligibility for scholarships differ from one another, so that the higher the degree level, the greater the percentage of costs covered.

To live in the United States, you should bear in mind that because of the country's political system, costs differ from one state to another, and tax rules also differ. The ten states where the cost of living is more expensive than the rest include Hawaii, New York, California, Oregon, Massachusetts, Alaska, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey. Overall, based on the average obtained from the country's 50 states in 2022, the cost of living is about 90.46% higher than the cost of living in Iran, and rent is about 144.82% higher than in Iran. The cost of living for one person without rent is about $939.86, and a family of four will cost about $3.330.41. The price per square metre of a home in the city centre is about $3.556.06 and outside the city centre about $2.133.40.

Monthly utilities, including basic services (electricity, heating, cooling, water, garbage) for an 85 square metre home, are about $168.45.

Overall, you should remember that when immigrating to the United States you need to find out the cost of living in your target states and plan accordingly.

Why is the United States one of the immigration destinations?

The United States is known around the world as one of the most important immigration destinations and has become famous as the land of opportunity.

Universities

American universities are the most widely recognised by societies around the world, and this recognition is not without reason; their distinctive and powerful education system attracts students from all countries. Nurturing pioneering  and leading minds is one of the main goals of most of these universities, and to achieve this goal they offer considerable financial support to their students, and graduates of these universities have guaranteed job market prospects.

The most powerful

In 2020, the United States ranked first in the world in the topic of “Power”. Being a pioneer and influencing the entire world are permanent and distinctive characteristics of this country. Strong ties with countries around the world, both politically and economically, attract people who want to have an impact on the world and benefit from these ties. The United States' “Strong international alliances” scored 99.3 out of 100.

Entrepreneurship

The United States is considered number one in the world in the technology, music, film, food and car industries, and the founding of the world's top companies in this country is itself proof of this. Unlike European countries, whose governments do not allow individuals to become wealthy, the US economic system is such that it provides for the development of ideas and becoming wealthy, and people seeking progress mostly settle in this country.