They got the golden ticket!  On March 24, 1973 Yoko Ono — legendary artist, activist, and widow to Beatles icon John Lennon — was granted permanent residence in the U.S.  The now 83-year-old moved with her family to Scarsdale in 1941 from her birthplace of Tokyo, according to Bio. Nearly 25 years later, in 1966, Ono would meet her future husband Lennon at one of her exhibitions in London and the two would embark on an affair nearly a year and a half later.  Ono was granted permanent residency in the U.S. in ‘73 and British-born Lennon followed close behind in ‘75 — after he fought tooth and nail against an order of deportation for pot possession.  Here’s a list of some little-known U.S. immigrants who are proud to call the land of the free their home:  Theron was born in Benoni, South Africa, and moved to Milan, Italy when she was 16 to work as a model for one year before heading to the Big Apple with her mother.  After debuting on the big screen, the Oscar-winning actress went on to land a ton of roles and appeared on the cover of Esquire, Vanity Fair, and Playboy.  Former president of South Africa and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela famously told The AP, “She has put South Africa on the map,” referring to Theron.  The “Mad Max: Fury Road” star traveled home for Mandela’s funeral in 2013, which was held just 20 miles away from where she was born.  Theron gained dual U.S. citizenship in 2007, according to Reuters.  Superstar Salma Hayek was born and raised in Mexico, and before she found fame stateside, the self-described former illegal immigrant started out as a telenovela actress in “Teresa.”  Hayek has spoken publicly about the adversity she faced in the U.S. with visa issues and also racial discrimination she endured starting out in Hollywood.  The “Frida” star staunchly opposed and protested legislation that called to make felons out of illegal immigrants back in 2006. She even went so far as to temporarily shut down her production company as a sign of solidarity.  "As a human being, I find this situation intolerable. As an immigrant, I find it offensive,” Hayek told The Daily News at the time.  In an interview with a V magazine in 2010, the notoriously private Hayek admitted to living undocumented in the U.S. for a short period in the early 90s. Her publicist later clarified the Mexican-American became a naturalized U.S. citizen very soon after.  Actress and model Pamela Anderson grew up in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada — not on a beach in Malibu, contrary to popular belief.  When the “Baywatch” star finished school she was discovered at a football game whilst sporting a Labatt’s T-shirt. The brewing company hired her to appear in their ads and the Playboy offer wasn’t far behind, according to Bio.  Anderson married Motley Crue founding member Tommy Lee in 1995 and the two had two children together before divorcing in 1998 after Lee was convicted of spousal abuse.  The Baywatch babe became a U.S. citizen in 2004, according to Reuters.  Not many people know that funnyman Jim Carrey was born in Canada.  The Ontario man didn’t have it easy growing up — when he was just 15-years-old he was forced to drop out of high school to help support his family after his father lost his job.  The “Dumb and Dumber” star moved to the U.S. in 1983, when he hit the Hollywood hills to star in TV movie ”Introducing...Janet.” From there he soared to become one of the biggest names in the business.  Carrey has been a U.S. citizen since 2004, according to Time.  “That 70s Show” alum Kunis was born in the Ukranian Soviet Socialist Republic (what is now Ukraine) and moved to Los Angeles with her family in 1991 at the age of 7.  Kunis hit the big time when she landed the role of “Jackie” on “That 70s Show” at just 14-years-old. On set, the actress first met her current husband, Ashton Kutcher, who played her boyfriend, Michael Kelso, on the show.  Kunis and Kutcher married in July 2015 and the two have a beautiful daughter, Wyatt.  Kunis, the voice of Meg on “Family Guy,” will star alongside Christina Applegate later this year in “Bad Moms.”
As Yoko Ono celebrates 43 years with US citizenship we look at other celebrities who came to the US in search of the American dream.