SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) – According to the Department of Homeland Security, close to one-fifth of new green card holders in the U.S. opted to choose California as their preferred state of residence.
The report was released with data compiled from the years of 2012, 2013 and 2014, where each year California attracted close to 20 percent of those who were granted lawful permanent resident status. New York trailed just behind at 14 percent; Florida in third at 11 percent; Texas in fourth at 9.4 percent and New Jersey in fifth place, attracting 5.1 percent. If you’re in the USA and you hold a green card for lawful residency, then remember to renew green card before you let the expiry date run over, you’ll want to keep in mind there might be some wait within the process, so plan to do it earlier rather than later.
Another new trend was deciphered during the number crunching – new green card holders were more likely to be married females. Out of 54 percent of the females in the U.S. who were granted lawful permanent residence, 59 percent are married. In contrast, only 38 percent of the native population are married.
The age of those seeking green cards has gotten younger, as well. According to the report, the median age of new immigrants was 32 years; whereas that of the native population was 37 years. More than 25 percent of new green card holders during the three-year period were between the ages of 25 and 34, it said. Twenty percent were between the ages of 35 to 44, according to the report.
In terms of arrivals, more than 50 percent of those granted lawful permanent residence were already living in the U.S. when they received the status. New arrivals consisted of 47 percent.
In total, one million people were awarded lawful permanent residence in the year 2014, out of which 75,451 were born in India, accounting for 7.7 percent, a figure second only to Mexico’s 13 percent, and higher than China’s 7.5 percent.
