- Billionaires and millionaires in the US include people from all over the world.
- Through a combination of ambition and hard work, many immigrants living in the US, such as Elon Musk (Tesla), Sergey Brin (Google), and Pierre Omidyar (eBay) have risen to be some of the richest people in the world.
Moving to a new country is a big risk. Beyond the obvious barriers of distance, language, and culture, new residents often face prejudice and worse when moving to a new country simply to survive — nevermind thrive. Who will be there to rescue you if you fail in a foreign land? What kind of safety net will you have?
Through a combination of ambition, skill, and luck (and, in several cases, a knack for computer science), many American immigrants have risen to the highest and most exclusive echelon of society.
Here are 15 immigrants who struck it rich after the big move:
SEE ALSO: Here's where immigrants are moving to in the US
1. Celine Dion
Net Worth: $400 million
Country of Origin: Canada
The French Canadian pop star may not in the financial stratosphere as some of the tech giants on this list, the Las Vegas mainstay known for "My Heart Will Go On" has done pretty well for herself.
2. Bharat Desai
Net Worth: $1.2 Billion
Country of Origin: Kenya
Born in Kenya and raised in India, Desai came to the US to work for Tata Consultancy Services. He and his wife, Neerja Sethi, then started their own consulting firm, Syntel, in their suburban Detroit apartment with just $2,000.
3. Eren Ozmen
Net Worth: $1.46 billion
Country of Origin: Turkey
This self-made woman emigrated from her native Turkey to pursue an advanced degree at the University of Nevada. Since then, she has amassed a fortune from owning and running Sierra Nevada Corp., a private defense and aerospace company whose clients range from NASA to the U.S. Air Force, with her husband.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider