Recent Greek Newcomers

As Greece continues to breakdown economically and settles in a quagmire of debt, Greek citizens began to seek an economic haven as an attempt to salvage their own lives, which were left broke and unwaged. A new wave of immigration to the United States initiated as a response to the conditions. Leaving their homes, the Greeks arrived through the gates of John of Kennedy Airport and took the five-minute ride to Astoria, where Greeks have been known to settle for decades.

“Immigration officials say the number of Greeks seeking legal residence in the United States is at a five-year high. Nine hundred forty-nine Greeks were granted permanent resident status by the Department of Homeland Security in 2011, an increase of 27.3 percent since 2010. That number does not include Greeks who have yet to acquire permanent status, who enter the country illegally or who already possess a green card and are returning to the United States after years of living in Greece.”

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With the economic crisis deepening, about 5,000 Greeks fled their homeland for Astoria in the past year, compared to about 2,000 a year in the previous half decade, according to Nicholas Alexiou, professor of sociology at Queens College. Alexiou has studied Greek immigration to Astoria for over twenty years.

Many are under the Visa Waiver Program and come to test the waters with a temporary three-month long visa, while others arrive with tourist or student visas.

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Although the full chart is not shown below, the most prominent groups in Astoria are displayed. However, it is clear here that the Greeks and the Italians are the most prominent amidst all the groups when it comes down to population. The “+/-” is used because there is no exact number that can be given to the Greeks or any of these other ethnicities due to their constantly changing number. As mentioned before, many more Greeks have been traveling to the States seeking economic haven, and thus the +/- gives room for error. To see the full chart, visit:

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Below is the United States census between the years of 2008-2012, showing the percentages and the approximate populations of each ethnicity between those years. Once again, these numbers are only counting those who have identified with first ancestry and those who are legally in the U.S as citizens.

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