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All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. - XIV Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Most people become U.S. citizens in one of two ways:

• By birth, either within the territory of the United States or to U.S. citizen parents, or

• By naturalization.

If you want to become an immigrant based on the fact that you have a permanent employment opportunity in the United States, or if you are an employer that wants to sponsor someone for lawful permanent residency based on permanent employment in the United States, you must go through a multi-step process.

• First, foreign nationals and employers must determine if the foreign national is eligible for lawful permanent residency under one of USCIS' paths to lawful permanent residency.

The 1800s

Nonetheless, over 18 million new Americans arrived by 1910. At that time, an estimated 15% of all Americans were new immigrants. Gradually, new and tougher immigration laws were implemented, many of which had the effect (unintended or not) of effectively limiting immigration to those from Western European nations, particularly the UK.