I think the opinion of how easy/difficult to immigrate to America is best for another thread.

The process is much simpler if you already have family living in the US. Once one person has jumped through the hoops, they can bring parents/children through with them. You'll see this a lot with Chinese/Indian families - the family throws a lot of money into getting one of the children in, once he/she is in, she'll bring in the parents, once they are in, they'll bring in the rest of the kids, etc.

Another option that is just down to pure luck if your family isn't here is the green card lottery - however some countries (like Canada and the UK) are excluded. 15 million applicants per year, 50,000 are chosen at random for a free green card (and then they can start bringing their family in).

So, I guess that also partially answers your second question about how many would come if there was no process. At least 15 million.

EDIT: I don't know where you got the 2 million figure from? Dep't of Homeland Security says that they let in about 500,000 per year through the various channels. Also keep in mind that most of the people allowed into the US are on a temporary basis - ie, they cannot get a green card. They are here on work visas that either expire or have to be renewed every couple of years. The process of converting from these temporary visas to an immigrant visa is also very expensive and really can only be done if you are worth enough to your employer that they bother to go through the process.

1. Be a hot girl from a foreign country.
2. Meet an old desperate man from the US online.
3. Get married.

Why would you? Win in your homeland, it is much cooler than going to make bucks in the USA.
I personally intendo to never set foot in the US, I love americans, but the idolizing brazilians have to going to America makes me sick, I rather visit the cool places in Brazil, which is as big as the whole Europe.

Oh, these anchor kids. I don't like that because we have a huge problem with that in Sweden, people sending one of their kids and the Swedish authorities feel so sorry for the poor kid and obviously lets it stay. And then a couple of years later he has brought like a dozen people. Of course I don't blame the families because they use the method that they think gives the highest chance to gain entry. But from the perspective of a European nation it's a tricky problem.

If you go to wikipedia and just study the migration numbers, you will discover that net migration to the USA has been 1.25 million on average in each years since 1990. That is net migration, immigration minus emigration. I assumed there are a few hundred thousand people leaving the US each year, let's say 750,000. So to determine immigration you get 1.25 + 0.75 million = 2 million.

But I have probably overestimated emigration a little bit. Perhaps it's as low as 400,000 yearly which would make immigration 1.25+0.4=1.65 million per year. Still a huge number. So net migration is far more than just 500,000 perople. I don't know what that 500K number includes, but it certainly doesn't include everyone who is moving to the USA each year. And according to the statistics, these net 1.25 million people yearly all seem to have stayed on a permanent basis.

Wow, 15 million applicants per year. Let's say all these 15 million were allowed to stay at once. How many more would keep coming after that?

What do u mean by the sentence "the idolizing brazilians have to going to America makes me sick"? I didn't quite understand that. Could you elaborate pls!

I won't comment on the net migration numbers, or how many immigrants there are per year because I simply do not know. The number I pulled up before about less than 500k came from a quick Google search.

15 million applicants per year from countries that are allowed to apply for the diversity lottery, here's a list of countries not allowed to apply:

Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland-born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories, and Vietnam.

Note that that list makes up almost half the world's population. It's possible without those exclusions, the number of applications could be in the ballpark of 30 million.

Brazilians have this fetish about the US. Like, they take a plane and go to Florida to buy shirts and perfume, eat a hamburger and come back. Not for profit or anything, but just as a status symbol or something. I just find it weird.

Furthermore, I got friends, right? Briliant people, college degree and everything.

But they leave Brazil and go to America do clean toilets.

I mean, nothing wrong with cleaning toilets, but, let me tell you, they rather live badly there in America than to have a wesome life in Brazil, it is just more glamorous to them.

now, I know people think Brazil is pretty dangerous place, but actually it is pretty peacefull, only the big cities and the beach resort places are violent, because everyone want to be there.

So, my point is: you can have a pretty amazing life in Brazil, but people leave here to be treated like mouses in America. =(