The number of Nepalese in the United States has risen in the last couple of years. Study in USA, and the Diversity Visa are major pathway programs Nepalese going through to settle in America. Among Nepalese America is the most sought place to settle in, so many Nepalese curious actually how many Nepalese in the United States now, here are some statistics about it.
Nepalese come to the United States for a variety of reasons. By looking at the history of this migration, it is evident that higher prospects of living standards, an abundance of resources in the marketplace, economic stability, academic opportunities, and political stability have been marked to be significant contributors.
Among the causes of Nepalese leaving for the U.S. was the civil war in Nepal, but the Diversity Visa Lottery Program was also a major factor. Nepalese have applied for the Diversity Visa Lottery every year since it was introduced.
About 4,000 Nepalese immigrants move to the United States every year. Through this DV program, more than three thousand Nepalese are selected every year. In recent years, we have seen the Nepalese population in the United States states more than ever before for the following reasons.
In recent years, there have been more students and families moving to the United States. In 2012, there were 670,000 international students attending American universities, including 11,500 students from Nepal.
Immigration and settlement history of Nepalese in the United States
The trend towards immigration to the USA is not new. The movement started in 1940, while the first permanent residentship was received in 1952.
In 1990, the United States census recorded 2,616 people of Nepalese descent… In the past few years, fewer than 100 Nepalese immigrants have become citizens of the United States, but the number of Nepalese who have become legal residents has steadily increased from 78 in 1987 to 431 in 1996. The Nepalese American community can be found in large cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Portland, Gainesville, and St. Paul. A significant number of them reside in California.
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Likewise in 1998 state introduced DV-99 diversity lottery winners which included 226 Nepalese. Following Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the diversity lottery provides 50,000 permanent resident visas to individuals from low-migration countries each year, in which Nepal got included.
Similarly, during the 2000s, the civil war in Nepal resulted in significant growth of Nepalese in the United States. The number of Nepalese who have immigrated to the U.S. has grown since then.
What is the total number of Nepalese in the United States?
According to community organisers, the United States is home to over 200,000 Nepalese — the largest numbers live in Texas, followed by New York and California, which has nearly 10,000 Nepalese residents.
The recent study broadcasted by Pew Research demonstrates a significant rise in the number of Nepalese people joining the state as immigrants. Back in the year 2000, the Nepalese population was around 9000 while by 2019, there is a sudden increase to 1,98,000.
Click here to get more Nepali Population snapshots in America
Cities with the highest Nepalese population in the United States
According to Pew Research, the highest Nepalese population is in Dallas with around 15,000 Nepali. The second city where we can find a maximum number of Nepalese communities is New York with 12,000 population. In the third segment, we have Washington with a total population of 10,000 Nepalese. Likewise in the fourth, we have San Francisco with 7,000 residing Nepalese.
Every year, how many Nepalese go to the United States?
Nepalese immigrants to the United States were classified as “other Asians.” Immigration records indicate that 1,910 other Asians entered the country between 1881 and 1890. Nepalese immigrants are very unlikely to have been among them. It wasn’t until 1975 that the Nepalese were recognized as a separate group when 56 Nepalese immigrated to the US. Through 1996, there were less than 100 Nepalese immigrants per year.
Read Also: Top 7 notable Nepalese in USA
What is the number of Nepali students in the United States?
A maximum number of Nepalese students are moving to the US every year for higher education. Among the dream destinations for students in the US are the world’s best universities. What percentage of Nepali students are studying in the United States?
The USA offers a Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery to Nepalis to get a chance of moving to the country. The US embassy in Nepal and several universities in the United States also offer scholarships to Nepali students to move to the USA. The scholarships are only granted to students studying at the university level.
The United States had 1,078,882 international students during the 2016-17 academic year. Nepal ranks 13th among countries of origin of international students in the United States with 11,607 students, increasing 20.1% from the previous year.
Currently, Nepal is where students are sending the most to the United States. They are in the top 25 sending countries. Nepali students residing in the USA also reached a record number of 13,270, a record number. In 2018, the number of Nepali students arriving in the U.S. grew for the third consecutive year. The United States now lists Nepal as the 10th best country for sending undergraduate students to Nepal. In the previous year, Nepal ranked 12th on the list.
Nepalese Americans and their status
Nepalese have dramatically increased in number in the United States. In 2014, it was found that Nepalese Americans had one of the highest per capita incomes of any ethnic group in the USA, with a $45,849 income. Americans had a per capita income of $25,825.
Most Nepalese in the United States work as entrepreneurs, industry professionals, IT specialists, lawyers, professors, researchers, and more. Nepalese households have an average income of $93,500.
The Nepalese Americans also work harder and earn more money after leaving Nepal. Scholarly accomplishments are also noted among this ethnic group. Additionally, their college GPAs are superior to those of the Indian American community, and their median household income is also greater than that of the Indian American community.
Bhutanese Nepalese refugee residing in the United States
Bhutanese Nepalese Americans are refugees from Bhutan that migrated to the United States from Nepal.
In 2015, UNHCR reported that 84,800 Bhutanese Nepalese live in the U.S. Nearly 85% of Bhutanese have emigrated to the U.S.
Amnesty International called Bhutan’s refugee crisis one of the world’s most prolonged and neglected refugee crises.
Almost one-sixth of Bhutan’s total population was exiled during the “One Nation, One People” policy in the 1980s, which caused more than 108,000 Nepali-speaking Bhutanese to leave Bhutan.
Those speaking Nepali in Bhutan were devastated by this. In the wake of the act of the Bhutanese government, the entire generation was stateless.
During the refugee crisis in Nepal, they stayed in refugee camps.
