By Bryn Miller
Rabat - According to the Department of Homeland Security’s records, 43,754 Moroccans received green cards between 2005 and 2014. Green cards are identification documents issued by the Department of State that grant its holder lawful permanent residency.
The government reported that an average of 4,375 Moroccans obtained a green card each year through various classes of admission, including family-sponsored preferences, employment-based preferences, and the State Department’s diversity lottery. Green card issuance for Moroccans reached its peak in 2010, when 5,447 immigrants received a card.
In context, during this ten-year period the United States issued green cards to 1,172,380 immigrants from predominately Muslim countries, 1,051,249 Europeans, and 10,822,112 total immigrants,
Morocco ranked ninth out of the world’s predominately Muslim countries for the number of nationals receiving lawful permanent resident status. Bangladesh came first with 139,584 recipients, followed by Iran and Iraq with 137,097 and 119,146 cards respectively.
Egypt, Somalia, Albania, Uzbekistan, and Turkey also ranked higher than Morocco. However, Moroccans far outstripped their neighbors in the Maghreb region, receiving almost 40,000 more green cards on average than Algerians, Mauritanians, Tunisians, and Libyans. Saudi Arabia, another American ally, received only 13,696 green cards for its citizens.
The post 43,754 Moroccans Received U.S. Green Card Between 2005-2014 appeared first on Morocco World News.