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the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country.

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Approximately 43.3 million foreign-born people live in the United States.
The number of foreign-born individuals in the U.S. population has more than quadrupled since 1965 and is expected to reach 78 million by 2065.
The countries of origin of today’s immigrants are more diverse than they were 50 years ago.
More Mexican immigrants are returning home than arriving in the United States. From 2009 to 2014, 1 million immigrants returned to Mexico while 870,000 arrived in the United States. This decline can be attributed to a drop of unauthorized Mexican immigrants, which peaked in 2007 at 6.9 million

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More than 10 million undocumented aliens currently reside in the U.S., and the illegal immigration rate is growing by 700,000 per year.

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In order to separate the good from the bad, there is no substitute for a nationwide system that identifies all foreign persons present within the U.S.

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1. To escape past or future persecution based on race, religion, nationality, and/or membership in a particular social group or political opinion.
In most countries, and in the United States, families and individuals who meet this criteria may obtain refugee status or asylum. Now, here’s the difference: refugees must secure their status prior to entering the country of choice, where as asylum seekers seek status upon arrival. A complex differentiation that causes a lot of confusion in the process to get people to safety.

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2. To escape conflict or violence
In many countries, but not the United States, families and individuals who immigrate to escape conflicts like war and violence can be considered for refugee status or asylum.

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3. To find refuge after being displaced due to environmental factors
Natural disasters, erosion, and other environmental factors caused by climate change are real threats that disproportionately affect people living in poverty. In fact, Christian Aid reports that 1 billion people could be displaced in the next 50 years as the effects of climate change worsen.
People who fit this description are dubbed climate “refugees,” but the name does not necessarily imply they have, or can receive, refugee status. As this is a newer phenomenon, many countries are still trying to determine how to respond to this growing issue.

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4. To seek superior healthcare
Imagine living in a country with limited access to healthcare when you’re suffering from serious health problems. Not fun.

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5. To escape poverty
Perhaps the most commonly assumed reason for immigration.

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6. To offer more opportunities to children
Parents sometimes make the difficult decision to migrate so their children can benefit from things like superior education, and plentiful job opportunities.

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7. Family reunification
Self explanatory, I think? Mom and Dad, I miss you!!

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8. For jobs and business opportunities
In some cases, people migrate with the knowledge or hope that more opportunities will be available to them in their particular field than at home. Others migrate after employment has already been offered to them.