Over the past 50 years, scores of individuals from the Philippines have immigrated to the United States and begun a new life and family in this country. In 1960, Filipinos accounted for just over 1 percent of the overall US foreign-born population, but now they account for about 4 percent of the US foreign-born population as of 2011. Filipinos were recently announced as the fourth largest immigrant group in America. They are surpassed by immigrants from Mexico, China, and India.

Data from 2011 shows that 1.6 million Filipino immigrants reside in the United States. About 45% of those immigrants live in the state of California, and one-third of all Filipino-born immigrants live in one of the three major metropolitan areas. These are the greater Los Angeles area, San Francisco, and New York. In 2011 alone, more than 57,000 Filipino-born immigrants were granted US legal permanent residency and given a green card so that they can work and live in the United States. Another 42,500 Filipino immigrants became US citizens through naturalization in 2011, and about 56% of all Filipino green card holders are eligible to naturalize should the decide to do so.

The share of Filipino-born immigrants that have naturalized into the United States is much greater than the share of all US immigrants that have begun the process. This is because about 65% of all Filipinos have naturalized, while only about 45% of all immigrants from all different countries start the process. In early 2011, data showed that only about 2% of all unauthorized immigrants in the United States are from the Philippines. Data from 2011 also shows that there are more female immigrants from the Philippines in the United States than male immigrants, and that over two-thirds of all immigrants from this country have strong English-language skills.

Interestingly enough, Filipino immigrant shave been known to improve society, as data shows that they are more likely to be university graduates as compared to all immigrant and US-born adults. Nearly 17 percent of all Filipino immigrant men work in personal care or service occupations, and about 18 percent of all women from this country work as registered nurses. The Filipino individuals that live in the United states are less likely to live in poverty than the native and foreign-born overall population in the United States. About 167,000 children under the age of 18 in the United State say that at least one of their parents is a Filipino immigrant born in his or her native country.

Congress has created special privileges for some Filipino immigrants, especially those who are veterans and served in the armed forces on behalf of America. Many Filipinos can also enter the United States on a skilled worker's visa or a student visa. Because of the ambitious nature and great reputation that Filipinos have in the United States, the government is often enthusiastic about allowing permanent residency and citizenship to individuals that can improve the economy, set up businesses, and more.

If you are an immigrant from any country and are hoping to seek permanent residency or citizenship, a local immigration attorney can help you to do so. Sometimes the process to become a resident in the United States can get extremely complicated or become difficult. With a reliable lawyer on your side you will be able to battle those challenges and seek the legalization that you need. A hardworking immigration lawyer will go to court with you if necessary and did the research needed to show that you deserve a green card or citizenship. Get started by using this directory to find an immigration lawyer today!