Asians will become the largest immigrant group in the US by 2055

The empty streets of Chinatown, Manhattan. (Jorge Quinteros)

Asians will become the largest immigrant group in the US by 2055, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.

The US will become home to more than 78 million immigrants in the coming years. Hispanic immigrants currently make up 47 percent of immigrant groups, this number is expected to drop by 31 percent by 2065. The Pew study predicts that Asians will become the majority of foreign-born immigrants making up 38 percent of immigrants.

Mark Hugo Lopez, Pew's director of Hispanic research and the study’s co-author, told the Associated Press that the fertility rate of Hispanic women may be a factor in the decline of immigrants.

"There are relatively fewer people who would choose to migrate from Mexico so demographic changes in Mexico have led to a somewhat smaller pool of potential migrants," he said.

"At the same time we've seen a growing number of immigrants particularly from China or India who are coming for reasons such as pursuing a college degree or coming here to work temporarily in the high-tech sector."

Asian immigrants are projected to account for 88 percent of the population increase, that's 103 million people as the US grows to 441 million.