Meet America's richest immigrants 2025: Top 10 US billionaires who are foreign-born

Forbes has listed 125 top foreign-born billionaires in the US who came to America as students (F-1), children, refugees or through the skilled (H-1B) visa category.

In 2025, the top 10 foreign-born immigrants have a combined wealth of over $800 billion.

These immigrants who made it big in the world of business reflect America’s ability to attract and nurture global talent.

Below is a list of the top 10 foreign-born US billionaires in 2025, based on available data from Forbes and other sources. 

Industry: Technology, Automotive, Aerospace, AI

Company: Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company, xAI

Net Worth: $393.1 billion

Entry visa details: Born in South Africa, Musk moved to Canada at age 17 on a Canadian passport (his mother is Canadian).

He transferred to the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 on a student visa (likely F-1) to pursue bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics. He launched his first company, Zip2, shortly after deferring a graduate program at Stanford.

Industry: Technology

Company: Google (Alphabet)

Estimated Net Worth: $139.7 billion

Entry visa details: Born in Russia, Brin immigrated to the US at age 6 with his family in 1979 to escape anti-Semitism. They entered as refugees, likely under the Refugee Act of 1980, which allowed Soviet Jews to resettle in the US. He was educated in the US (University of Maryland and Stanford) and co-founded Google while on a student visa.

Industry: Technology

Company: Nvidia

Estimated Net Worth: $137.9 billion

Entry visa details: Born in Taiwan, Huang moved to Thailand as a child and was sent to the US at age 9 in 1972 to escape social unrest in Thailand. He likely entered on a family-based visa or as a dependent of his parents, who were legal immigrants.

He pursued education at Oregon State University and Stanford. He founded Nvidia in 1993 after working at US companies.

Industry: Finance

Company: Interactive Brokers

Estimated Net Worth: $67.9 billion

Entry visa details: Born in Hungary, Peterffy immigrated to the US in 1965 at age 21 to join his father, who had fled communism. He likely entered on a family-based immigrant visa or as a refugee, given the political climate in Hungary.

He worked as an architectural draftsman and later a computer programmer, with no evidence of using an H-1B visa. He founded Interactive Brokers in 1977.

Industry: Property, gaming

Company: Las Vegas Sands

Estimated Net Worth: $33.4 billion

Entry visa details: Born in Israel, Adelson moved to the US in the 1980s to pursue medical research at Rockefeller University. She likely entered on a student or work visa (possibly an H-1B or J-1 visa), given her role as a physician and researcher. She became a US citizen after marrying Sheldon Adelson in 1991. Her wealth primarily stems from inheriting her husband’s casino empire.

Industry: Media

Company: News Corp, Fox Corp

Estimated Net Worth: $24 billion

Entry visa details: Born in Australia, Murdoch moved to the US in the 1970s to expand his media empire, becoming a US citizen in 1985 to comply with US media ownership laws. He likely entered on a business or investor visa (possibly E-2 or EB-5), as his wealth and business interests facilitated his move.

Industry: Technology, Venture Capital

Company: PayPal, Palantir, Founders Fund

Net Worth: Estimated at $12.4 billion (based on recent Forbes data, though not explicitly listed in the top 10 immigrant rankings)

Entry visa details: Born in Germany, Thiel moved to the US as a child in 1968 with his family. He likely entered as a dependent on his parents’ visa (possibly a family-based or work visa). He was educated in the US (Stanford) and co-founded PayPal.

Industry: Technology, Cybersecurity

Company: Zscaler

Net worth: $17.9 billion

Entry visa details: Born in India, Chaudhry moved to the US in 1980 to attend graduate school at the University of Cincinnati. He likely entered on a student visa (F-1). After completing his education, he worked in tech roles and founded multiple companies, including Zscaler in 2008.

Industry: Technology

Company: WhatsApp

Net worth: Estimated at $16.2 billion (based on recent Forbes data, though not explicitly listed in the top 10 immigrant rankings)

Entry visa details: Born in Ukraine, Koum immigrated to the US at age 16 with his mother in 1992, likely under the Refugee Act as Soviet Jews escaping persecution.

He attended San Jose State University and worked at Yahoo without needing an H-1B visa, as his refugee status allowed work authorisation. He co-founded WhatsApp in 2009.

Industry: Technology

Company: Kingston Technology

Net worth: Estimated at $15.3 billion (based on recent Forbes data, though not explicitly listed in the top 10 immigrant rankings)

Entry visa details: Born in China, Tu moved to Taiwan as a child and then to the US in the 1970s for education. He likely entered on a student visa (F-1) to attend the University of Southern California. He co-founded Kingston Technology in 1987 after working in the US tech industry.