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Infographics 2017

This gallery contains infographics produced by the Office of Immigration Statistics to make data provided by Department of Homeland Security components more readily available to the public. Infographics describe key immigration topics such as the number and characteristics of lawful permanent residents, refugees and  asylees, naturalizations, nonimmigrant admissions, and immigration enforcement actions. Infographics for 2017 may be viewed below or downloaded.


 

The U.S. Immigration System. 2017 Lawful Permanent Residents. A lawful permanent resident (LPR) or "green card" is defined by immigration law as a person who has been granted lawful permanent residence in the United States. Lawful permanent residents may live and work permanently in the United States; own property; attend public schools, colleges, and universities; join the U.S. Armed Forces; and apply to become a U.S. citizen after meeting certain eligibility requirements. This graphic provides information on those who received LPR status in Fiscal Year 2017. Lawful Permanent Residents since 1917. There were 1,127,167 new LPRs in Fiscal Year 2017. About 51% were new arrivals to the United States. The spike in new LPRs from 1989 to 1991 reflects the legalization of 2.7 million unauthorized immigrants under the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. LPRs by Region of Birth & Top Categories of Admission. Asia, 37.7%. North America, 36.7%. Africa 10.5%. Europe, 7.5%; South America, 7.0%. Oceania, 0.4%. LPRs by Category of Admission. Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens, 45.8%; Family-Sponsored preferences, 20.6%; Employment-based preferences, 12.2%; Refugees, 10.7%; Diversity, 4.6%; Asylees, 2.3%; Other, 3.8%. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is available to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration. Visas are distributed by lottery and were limited in 2017 to 3,500 per eligible country and to a total of 50,000 visas. United States Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigraiton Statistics. For additional information, please see the 2017 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics and 2017 Lawful Permanent Residents Flow report at www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics.

The U.S. Immigration System: 2017 Naturalizations. The naturalization process confers U.S. citizenship upon foreign citizens or nationals who have fulfilled the requirements established by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). After naturalization, foreign-born citizens enjoy nearly all of the same benefits, rights, and responsibilities that the Constitution protects for native-born U.S. citizens, including the right to vote. This graphic provides information for adults ages 18 and up who naturalized in Fiscal Year 2017; the graphic does not include information on persons under the age of 18 who derived citizenship from the naturalization of a parent. Naturalizations over time. 88,104 persons naturalized in Fiscal Year 1917.  707,265persons naturalized in Fiscal Year 2017. Spike in naturalizations partially as a result of LPRs legalized under the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) becoming eligible to naturalize. Asia overtakes Europe as the largest region of origin for naturalizations in the late 1970s. Top 5 countries of birth. Mexico, 16.8%; India, 7.2%; Philippines, 5.2%; China, 5.3%. Cuba 4.2%. 56% of persons naturalized in 2017 were female and 44% were male. Time to naturalization. Persons naturalizing in Fiscal Year 2017 spend a median of 8 years in LPR status before becoming citizens, unchaged from the previous four years. Median years in LPR status for persons naturalized  in Fiscal Year 2017 was: North America, 1` Years; Oceania, 10 Years; Europe, 9 Years; South America, 8 Years; Africa, 6 Years; Asia, 6 Years; Top 5 States of Residence. California, 22.2%; New York, 12.2%; Florida, 9.8%; Texas, 7.1%; New Jersey, 5.5%. United States Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigraiton Statistics. For additional information, please see the 2017 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics and 2017 Naturalizations Flow report at www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics.

The U.S. Immigration System. 2016 Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94/I-94W only). Nonimmigrants are foreign nationals granted temporary admission to the United States. Some examples of nonimmigrant admission categories are tourists, business travelers, students, temporary workers, and diplomatic and international organization staff. This graphic provides data for nonimmigrants who received I-94 and I-94W (visa waiver) forms in Fiscal Year 2017; these forms are issued to most types of nonimmigrants with the exceptions of Canadian tourists and business travelers and Mexicans with border crossing cards. 77,643,267 admissions to the United States were recorded using Form I-94 or I-94W. An I-94/I-94W form documents the Arrival-Departure Record of particular aliens. Sources of I-94/I-94W admissions: North America, 45.6%; Europe, 23.0%; Asia, 19.5%; South America, 8.2%; Oceania, 2.5%; Africa, 1.0%. 53.2% of all Students & Exchange Visitor admissions were citizens of countries in Asia. Visa waivers (I-94W). 23,637,046 admissions to the United States occured under the Visa Waiver Program. The Visa Waiver Program allows nationals of designated countries to travel to the eUnited States as tourists or business travelers without a visa for a period not to exceed 90 days. Month of arrival. An average of 7,651,067 I-94/I-94W admissions per month occured in July & August. 5,280,126 I-94/I-94W admissions occured in February. I-94/I-94W by class of admission. Temporary visitors for pleasure, 79.3%; Temporary visitors for business, 10.9%; Temporary workers & families, 5.1%; Students & Exchange visitors, 3.3%; Other classes of admission, 1.4%. United States Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigraiton Statistics. For additional information, please see the 2017 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics and 2017 Nonimmigrant Admissions Flow report at www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics.

Last Updated: 11/17/2023
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