1,051,031Number of foreign nationals who were granted lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. in 2015. The leading countries of birth were Mexico (158,619), China (74,588), India (64,116), Philippines (56,478), Cuba (54,396), Dominican Republic (50,610), Vietnam (30,832) and Iraq (21,107).18thTwin Cities' rank among major metropolitan areas in terms of the annual numbers of foreign nationals who were granted lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. in 2015. The top five were New York City, Los Angeles, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.14,739Number of foreign nationals (7,731 females, 7,008 males) who were granted lawful permanent resident status in Minnesota in 2015. The leading countries of birth were Somalia (2,171), Mexico (1,268), Ethiopia (1,215), India (891), Kenya (686), Burma (650), Thailand (560), China (540), Liberia (506) and Vietnam (448).729,995Number of people naturalized in the U.S. in 2015. Among new citizens, the leading countries of birth were Mexico (105,958), India (42,213), Philippines (40,814), China (31,241), Dominican Republic (26,665), Cuba (25,770), Vietnam (21,976), Colombia (17,207), El Salvador (16,930) and Jamaica (16,566). Not everyone who applies is granted citizenship; 75,810 petitions were denied in 2015.23rdTwin Cities' rank among major metropolitan areas in terms of annual number of people naturalized in 2015. The top five were New York City, Los Angeles, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Washington, D.C., and Houston.7,533Number of people living in Minnesota who were naturalized in 2015. That's down from 9,176 in 2014, and 10,526 in 2013.7Median number of years of residence between the date when lawful permanent resident status was conferred and the date of naturalization (2014 figure).1 out of 14Ratio of foreign-born to native-born Minnesotans; that's roughly 428,000 residents, or 7.2 percent of the state's population. (By comparison, 1 in 5 Minnesotans were foreign-born in 1920.) Approximately 45 percent of the state's foreign-born population are naturalized U.S. citizens (2014 figures).66,000Number of Mexican-born Minnesotans. Other leading countries of birth include India (29,000), Laos (28,000), Somalia (26,000), Ethiopia (18,000), China — excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan (18,000), Thailand and Vietnam (17,000). Estimates do not include U.S.-born children of these immigrants (2014 figures).185,000Number of Spanish-speaking Minnesotans (age 5 and older), Hmong speakers: 65,000 (2014 figures).Naturalization
The process that confers U.S. citizenship upon foreign citizens or nationals who have fulfilled requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act. After naturalization, foreign-born citizens enjoy nearly all of the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens, including the right to vote. A foreign national must be at least 18 years old, be a U.S. lawful permanent resident and have resided in the U.S. continuously for at least five years.Lawful permanent resident
A noncitizen who has been granted authorization to live and work in the U.S. on a permanent basis. As proof of that status, a person is granted a permanent resident card, commonly called a "green card."Sources: Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, Minnesota State Demographic Center.
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