Did You Know California Immigration Fscts

The year 2020 was a momentous one for U.Due south. immigration, marker the last year of an administration that had a nearly unprecedented focus on reducing immigration, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, which drastically chilled travel and migration to the United states and around the world.

Even prior to 2020, the immigrant population in the United states already had been growing at much slower rates than a decade ago. And origins for recent arrivals were shifting, with more than new immigrants coming from Asia than other regions. The year had other notable developments: The most recent estimates revealed illegal clearing was on the decline, the United States resettled the smallest number of refugees in the history of the refugee resettlement plan, and nearly half of recently arrived immigrants had a available's degree or more.

To offer more than context on the immigrants frequently at the heart of political discussions, who numbered 44.ix one thousand thousand in 2019, this Spotlight offers information about some of the nigh frequently requested immigration-related issues by compiling the nearly authoritative and current data available. It answers questions such as: What are the historic immigration trends in the United States? Who is immigrating, and through which channels? In what occupations practice immigrants work? How many immigrants go naturalized citizens? What immigration enforcement actions were taken during the year? What are income and poverty metrics, likewise every bit health insurance coverage, for immigrants and the U.S. born alike?

This article draws on the about recent resources and information from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI); the U.Due south. Census Bureau (using its 2019 American Community Survey [ACS], 2020 Electric current Population Survey [CPS], and 2000 decennial census); and the U.Due south. Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Land. (Note: DHS and Land Section data refer to financial years that begin on October 1 and end on September xxx; ACS and CPS data refer to calendar years). For more detailed information on U.S. and global immigration data sources and one-click access to these datasets, encounter the MPI written report Clearing Information Matters . And all of the data tools and maps linked to in this article as well can be accessed through MPI'southward Migration Information Hub.

Click on the bullet points for more information on each topic:

Immigrants Now and Historically
Demographic, Educational, and Linguistic Characteristics
Immigrant Destinations
Immigrants in the Labor Force
Income and Poverty
Wellness Insurance Coverage
Children of Immigrants
Permanent Immigration
Temporary Visas
Refugees and Aviary Seekers
Unauthorized Immigrants
Immigration Enforcement
Naturalization Trends
Visa Backlogs

Immigrants At present and Historically

How many immigrants reside in the U.s.?

More than 44.9 million immigrants lived in the U.s. in 2019, the historical numeric loftier since demography records have been kept. Immigrants' share of the overall U.S. population has increased significantly from the tape low of iv.vii pct in 1970. In 2019, immigrants comprised 13.7 percent of the total U.S. population, a figure that remains short of the record high of xiv.8 percent in 1890.

The foreign-born population remained largely flat between 2018 and 2019, with an increase of 204,000 people, or growth of less than 0.5 pct. This is consistent with the 203,000 increase from 2017 to 2018 and much lower than the approximately 787,000 increase—or 2 per centum growth—seen between 2016 and 2017. The slowing growth of the immigrant population over the past few years is mirrored by the slowing growth of the total U.S. population since 2015.

How take the number and share of immigrants changed over time?

In 1850, the first year the U.s.a. began collecting nativity data through the demography, the country had 2.two million immigrants, representing nearly x pct of the full population.

Betwixt 1860 and 1920, the immigrant share of the population fluctuated between 13 pct and almost 15 percent, peaking at 14.8 percent in 1890, largely due to loftier levels of immigration from Europe. Restrictive immigration laws in 1921 and 1924 kept permanent immigration open about exclusively to northern and western Europeans. Combined with the Great Depression and World War 2, this led to a sharp drop in new arrivals from the Eastern Hemisphere. The foreign-born share steadily declined, striking a record low of 4.vii percent (or 9.6 1000000 immigrants) in 1970 (see Figure 1).

Want to know how immigration to the Us has fluctuated over time? Check out the U.S. Immigrant Population and Share over Fourth dimension, 1850-Present data tool.

Figure 1. Size and Share of the Foreign-Born Population in the Us, 1850-2019

Source: Migration Policy Found (MPI) tabulation of data from U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-19 American Community Surveys (ACS), and 1970, 1990, and 2000 decennial census. All other data are from Campbell J. Gibson and Emily Lennon, "Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the Usa: 1850 to 1990" (Working Paper no. 29, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 1999).

Since 1970, the share and number of immigrants have increased quickly, mainly considering of large-scale immigration from Latin America and Asia. The vast diversification of immigration flows was ushered in by of import shifts in U.South. immigration law (including the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which abolished national-origin access quotas; the cosmos of a formal refugee resettlement program with the Refugee Act of 1980; and the Cold War-era grant of preferential treatment to Cuban immigrants); the U.s.' growing economic and military presence in Asia and Latin America; economic ties, social linkages, and deep migration history between the Usa and its southern neighbors; and major economical transformations and political instability in countries effectually the world.

To see the irresolute regional makeup of immigration to the U.s., use the Regions of Nascence for Immigrants in the United States, 1960-Present data tool.
Read about historical U.S. clearing trends and policies in Immigration in the United States: New Economic, Social, Political Landscapes with Legislative Reform on the Horizon .
Acquire about the impact of the 1965 law in Fifty Years On, the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act Continues to Reshape the U.s.a. .
Read more near the end of national-origin quotas in The Geopolitical Origins of the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965 .

How do today's top countries of origin compare to those 50 years ago?

In 2019, Mexicans comprised 24 percent of all immigrants in the United States a decline from 30 percent in 2000. Immigrants from Republic of india and China (including those built-in in Hong Kong and Macao only not Taiwan) were the next two largest immigrant groups, each making upwardly about vi percent of the strange-born population. Other top countries of origin include the Philippines (v percent); El Salvador, Vietnam, Cuba, and the Dominican Democracy (each accounting for 3 percent); and Guatemala and Korea (each ii per centum). Together, these ten countries deemed for 57 percent of all immigrants in the U.s.a. in 2019.

The predominance of immigration from Latin America and Asia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries starkly contrasts with the tendency in the mid-1900s, when immigrants were largely European. In the 1960s no unmarried country deemed for more than than 15 percent of the U.South. immigrant population. Italians were the tiptop origin group, making up 13 percent of the foreign built-in in 1960, followed by Germans and Canadians (nearly x pct each).

To see immigration trends from private countries over time, use the Countries of Birth for U.Due south. Immigrants, 1960-Present information tool.

How long have immigrants lived in the The states, and what are the leading sending countries?

Fifty percent of all immigrants in the United States in 2019 had entered the country prior to 2000 (29 percent entered before 1990 and 21 per centum between 1990 and 1999), while 25 per centum entered between 2000 and 2009 and the remaining 25 percent in 2010 or later.

While immigrants from Mexico have dominated the flows post-1970, the composition of new arrivals has inverse since 2010. Recently arrived immigrants are more probable to come from Asia, with India and China leading the way. In fact, in 2013, India and China overtook United mexican states every bit the top origin countries for new arrivals, displacing its longstanding position.

The number of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Cuba, Venezuela, Republic of guatemala, and El Salvador besides increased between 2010 and 2019. By contrast, the number of Mexican immigrants in the U.s. declined by more than 779,000 during the aforementioned period, representing the biggest accented refuse of all immigrant groups.

Amid the origin countries with at to the lowest degree 100,000 immigrants in the U.s. in 2019, the top five that experienced the fastest growth between 2010 and 2019 were Venezuela (an increase of 153 pct), Afghanistan (143 percent), Nepal (140 percent), Myanmar (also known as Burma; 84 percent), and Nigeria (79 percent).

Read more about Immigrants from New Origin Countries in the The states .
Check out Largest U.S. Immigrant Groups over Time, 1960-Nowadays, an interactive tool showing the top ten source countries past decade.
To larn more about key immigrant populations, bank check out the Migration Information Source's Spotlights annal, which includes data profiles of individual immigrant groups in the Usa, including Mexicans, Indians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, South and Cardinal Americans, Europeans, sub-Saharan Africans, and those from the Middle East-Northward Africa region.

How many U.South. residents are of immigrant origin?

Immigrants and their U.S.-born children number approximately 85.7 million people, or 26 pct of the U.South. population, according to the 2020 Current Population Survey (CPS), a slight decline from 2019. The Pew Research Centre has projected that the immigrant-origin share of the population will rise to about 36 pct past 2065.

Demographic, Educational, and Linguistic Characteristics

What is the median age for immigrants?

The immigrant population's median age in 2019 was 45.vii years, making it older than the U.S.-born population, which had a median age of 36.five years. Children of immigrants who are built-in in the U.s. contribute to the younger median age of the U.S.-born population compared to the immigrant population, which is comprised of people who immigrate largely equally adults.

Fewer than one pct of immigrants were nether age v in 2019, compared to vii percentage of the U.South.-born population in this age group. Children and youth ages 5 to 17 years accounted for 5 percent of immigrants and 18 percent of the U.S.-built-in population. People of working historic period (18 to 64 years) comprised 78 percentage of the immigrant population, a much higher figure than the 59 percent of U.Due south. born in this category. Approximately 17 percent of immigrants were 65 years and older, similar to the 16 percent of the U.Due south. born in this historic period grouping.

What is the female share of the immigrant population?

In 2019, virtually 52 percentage of all U.S. immigrants were female. The share has fluctuated slightly over the past 4 decades: 53 percent in 1980, 51 percent in 1990, l percentage in 2000, and 51 percent in 2010.

What is the racial makeup of immigrants?

In 2019, 45 percent of immigrants reported their race every bit single-race White, 27 percent every bit Asian, 10 percent as Black, and 15 percent every bit some other race. About 2 percentage reported having 2 or more races.

How many immigrants are Hispanic or Latino?

In 2019, 44 percentage of U.S. immigrants (19.viii one thousand thousand people) reported having Hispanic or Latino origins.

Annotation: The Census Bureau classifies Hispanic and Latino as ethnic categories, separate from the racial categories listed above (encounter Definitions box for more information).

How many Hispanics in the United States are immigrants?

The majority of U.Southward. Hispanics are U.South.-built-in. Of the 60.5 1000000 people in 2019 who cocky-identified every bit Hispanic or Latino, 33 percent (19.8 million) were immigrants and 67 percent (twoscore.six 1000000) were U.S.-born.

Use the MPI Data Hub's Land Immigration Information Profiles to larn more nearly the demographic characteristics of immigrants and the U.South. born (including race and ethnicity) in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.s..

Which languages are about frequently spoken at dwelling?

In 2019, approximately 78 pct (241 million) of all 308.8 one thousand thousand people ages v and older regardless of nativity reported speaking merely English language at dwelling house. The remaining 22 percentage (67.8 million) reported speaking a language other than English at dwelling.

Among those who reported speaking a language other than English at home, 62 per centum were Castilian speakers. Other top languages were Chinese (5 percent, including Mandarin and Cantonese); Tagalog (almost 3 percent); and Vietnamese, Standard arabic, French (including Cajun), and Korean (about 2 percent each) (encounter Table one).

Tabular array i. Languages Spoken at Dwelling Other than English (ages 5 and older), 2019

Source: MPI tabulation of data from the U.S. Demography Bureau 2019 ACS.

Spanish was the most common language afterwards English language in all but 4 states: Alaska (where the Eskimo-Aleut languages dominated), Hawaii (Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, Marshallese, or other Austronesian languages), and Maine and Vermont (French) (see Figure 2).

Effigy 2. Map of Most Unremarkably Spoken Languages other than English language and Castilian, by State, 2019

Notes: Chinese includes Mandarin and Cantonese; Dakota+ includes Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, and Sioux; French includes Cajun; Ilocano+ includes Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, Marshallese, or other Austronesian languages; Pennsylvania Dutch+ includes Pennsylvania High german, Yiddish, or other Westward Germanic languages; and Tagalog includes Filipino.

Source: MPI analysis of data from the U.S. Demography Bureau 2019 ACS for the U.s. and all states except Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Due south Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming, too equally the District of Columbia. Data for these xv jurisdictions are from the U.S. Demography Bureau pooled 2015-19 ACS.

How many immigrants are Express English Proficient (LEP)?

In 2019, approximately 46 percent (20.seven million) of the 44.vi one thousand thousand immigrants ages 5 and older were Express English language Practiced (LEP). Immigrants accounted for 81 pct of the state'south 25.5 meg LEP individuals.

Note: The term "Limited English Expert" refers to persons ages 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Individuals who reported speaking "but English" or speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English.

Limited English Proficient Population: Number and Share, past State, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2019.

What share of the immigrant population has a college teaching?

In 2019, 33 percent (12.9 million) of the 39.5 million immigrants ages 25 and older had a bachelor'southward caste or higher, similar to U.S.-born adults (run across Effigy iii). Notably, 48 percent of immigrants who entered the state between 2014 and 2019 held available's degrees or higher, compared to 33 percent of the U.S.-born and overall immigrant populations.

Figure 3. Educational Attainment of U.Southward.-Born, Immigrant, and Recently Arrived Immigrant Residents, 2019

Note: Recently arrived immigrants are those who entered the United states between 2014 and 2019.

Source: MPI tabulation of data from the U.S. Census Agency 2019 ACS.

Educational attainment varies by state of origin. In 2019, well-nigh lxxx percent of Indian immigrant adults in the U.s. had a bachelor's degree or more than. Other superlative countries were Zimbabwe (74 percent), Taiwan (73 percent), United Arab Emirates and Belarus (seventy percentage each), and Singapore (69 pct).

Educational Attainment Among U.Southward.-Born Adults and All Immigrant Adults by State of Birth in 2019.
Read more than about the socioeconomic characteristics of highly skilled immigrants in College-Educated Immigrants in the The states .

Immigrant Destinations

Which states have the largest number of immigrants and which ones take experienced the fastest growth of their immigrant populations?

In 2019, the top five U.S. states by number of immigrants were California (x.6 1000000), Texas (5 million), Florida (iv.5 million), New York (four.4 million), and New Jersey (2.one meg).

When classified by immigrants' share of full population, the meridian five states in 2019 were California (27 pct), New Jersey (23 percent), New York (22 percent), Florida (21 per centum), and Nevada (xx percent).

Interested in the pinnacle U.S. destinations for immigrants by land or region of origin? Utilise our interactive maps to encounter pinnacle immigrant concentrations at state and county or metropolitan-area levels.

While traditional immigrant destinations have the largest absolute number of new immigrants, other states have seen much larger relative growth in their immigrant populations. In some cases this is because the states' initial foreign-born populations were quite minor, and then a relatively minor absolute increase has translated into loftier-pct growth (encounter Table ii).

Table 2. Elevation Five States by Accented and Pct Growth in Immigrant Population, 2000-10 and 2010-xix

Absolute Growth

Percent Change

Source: MPI tabulation of data from the U.Southward. Census Bureau 2010 and 2019 ACS and 2000 decennial census.

For more data on the superlative states of residence for the foreign built-in, meet the interactive tool Immigrant Population past Land, 1990-Present.

Immigrants in the Labor Force

How many immigrants are in the U.S. civilian labor forcefulness?

Immigrants constituted 17 percentage (28.half dozen million) of the civilian labor force (166.three million) in 2019. Immigrant participation in the labor strength has more than tripled since 1970, when immigrants accounted for approximately 5 percentage of the noncombatant labor strength.

For more on the evolving share of immigrants in the labor strength nationwide and by land, see Immigrant Share of the U.S. Population and Civilian Labor Strength, 1980-Present.

What types of jobs practise immigrants perform?

Of the 27.six million employed foreign-born workers ages sixteen and older in 2019, the largest share (35 percent) worked in direction, professional person, and related occupations (see Effigy 4).

Effigy four. Employed Workers in the U.S. Noncombatant Labor Force (ages 16 and older), by Nativity and Occupation, 2019

Notation:Numbers may not add together upward to 100 as they are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Source: MPI tabulation of data from the U.Due south. Demography Bureau 2019 ACS.

Check out the Data Hub's State Clearing Data Profiles for more information on the labor forcefulness participation of immigrants and the U.Due south. built-in in the United states, each of the 50 states, and the Commune of Columbia.

Income and Poverty

In 2019, immigrant households had a median income of $63,550, compared to $66,040 for native-born households.

Xiv per centum of immigrants were poor (that is, with family incomes beneath the official poverty threshold), compared to 12 percent of the U.S. born.

Health Insurance Coverage

What share of immigrants have health insurance?

In 2019, approximately 58 percent of U.S. immigrants had private health insurance (compared to 69 percent of the U.S. built-in), and 30 percent had public wellness insurance coverage (compared to 36 percentage of the U.South. born).

Since implementation of the Affordable Intendance Act (ACA) in 2014, health insurance coverage rates improved for both the U.South. born and immigrants. From 2013 to 2017, the charge per unit of uninsured immigrants vicious from 32 percent to 20 per centum, and the rate for the native born fell from 12 percent to 7 pct. In 2017, the Trump administration made a number of changes to policies initiated by the ACA, including removing the individual coverage mandate, ending cost-sharing subsidies to insurers, and cutting funding for navigator programs. In 2019, the share of uninsured among the immigrant population remained at almost 20 percent.

Note: Wellness insurance coverage is calculated only for the civilian, noninstitutionalized population. Since some people may simultaneously hold both private and public health insurance coverage, estimates of those with public health insurance and those with public coverage may overlap. Their sum therefore may be greater than the total number of people with health insurance.

Children of Immigrants

How many U.S. children live with immigrant parents?

In 2019, approximately 17.8 million U.South. children under age 18 lived with at least one immigrant parent. They accounted for 26 per centum of the 68.9 million children nether historic period eighteen in the United States, upwardly from xix per centum in 2000 and thirteen percentage in 1990.

2d-generation children, who were born in the United States to at least 1 foreign-born parent, accounted for 88 percent (15.half dozen meg) of all children under age 18 with immigrant parents. The remaining 12 percent (ii.2 million) were built-in outside the Usa.

For state-past-state and historic period information on children living with immigrant parents, see the Children in U.S. Immigrant Families data tool.

How has the number of children in immigrant families changed over time?

Between 2000 and 2010, the number of children ages 17 and under with immigrant parents grew 30 percent, from 13.1 million to 17 million. Betwixt 2010 and 2019, the number grew by another v percent, reaching 17.8 million.

The population of first-generation children, who were born outside the United States, declined by 12 percent between 2000 and 2010, from 2.7 1000000 to 2.4 million. Information technology then declined further past some other 9 percent between 2010 and 2019, to two.2 one thousand thousand.

In dissimilarity, the number of second-generation children has grown steadily since 2000. Between 2000 and 2010, the number increased by 40 percent, from ten.4 meg to fourteen.6 million, followed past a vii percent increase between 2010 and 2019, reaching 15.6 million.

How many children living with immigrant parents are in low-income families?

In 2019, there were 25.half-dozen million children nether age 18 living in families with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold. Of them, nearly viii 1000000 (or 31 pct) were children of immigrants.

Children of immigrants were more than likely to be in low-income families (45 percentage of the 17.8 million) compared to children of U.S.-born parents (35 percent of the 51.1 1000000).

For state-level estimates of children of immigrants and share in low-income families, see the Demographic and Social Profiles in the Country Immigration Data Profiles.

Which states have the largest number of children in immigrant families and which ones accept experienced the fastest growth of this population?

In 2019, the top 5 states by the total number of children under age 18 living with immigrant parents were California (four one thousand thousand), Texas (2.4 million), New York (1.4 million), Florida (1.4 million), and New Bailiwick of jersey (769,000). These states accounted for 56 percent of the 17.8 1000000 U.S. children with immigrant parents.

The five states with the largest share of children with immigrant parents in 2019 were California (47 percent of all children in the state), New Bailiwick of jersey (41 pct), Nevada (38 percent), New York (36 percent), and Texas (35 pct).

While traditional immigrant destinations experienced the largest absolute growth in children with immigrant parents over time, other states accept seen much larger relative growth (see Tabular array three). In some states, this is because the initial number of children with immigrant parents was quite minor. Thus, relatively pocket-size absolute increases in the immigrant population in these states have translated into loftier percent growth.

Table 3. Top V States by Absolute and Per centum Growth in Children with Immigrant Parents, 2000-10 and 2010-19

Absolute Growth

Percent Growth

Source: MPI tabulation of data from the U.Southward. Census Bureau 2010 and 2019 ACS and 2000 decennial census.

Permanent Immigration

How many immigrants obtain lawful permanent residence (also known as getting a green carte du jour)?

In fiscal twelvemonth (FY) 2019, 1 million immigrants became lawful permanent residents (LPRs, also known as greenish-carte holders). The number of new LPRs in FY 2019 decreased by 64,800 from the prior year (a 6 percent drop). In the by decade, the annual number of new green-card recipients has ranged from 991,000 (FY 2013) to 1.two million (FY 2016).

In recent years, immigrants obtaining LPR status take been, on average, about evenly divided between those already living in the United States who are adjusting their status and those applying from outside the country. More than than 55 pct (or 573,000) of the 1 million new LPRs in FY 2019 received green cards from within the The states. Many of these new permanent residents are spouses, pocket-sized children, and parents of U.South. citizens, or persons who arrived as refugees or every bit temporary workers.

Well-nigh 459,000 of the new LPRs (nearly 45 pct) were granted this condition from abroad in FY 2019, a slight dip from previous years when the share of new arrivals was higher (48 percent in FY 2018 and 51 percentage the prior year). Most new arrivals are immediate family members of U.S. citizens and LPRs.

Trace changing immigration trends over fourth dimension with the Legal Clearing to the United States, 1820-Present information tool.

Under which categories are permanent immigrants admitted?

There are four principal pathways to obtain a light-green carte: through a family relationship, employment sponsorship, humanitarian protection (for refugees and asylees), and the Multifariousness Visa (DV) lottery (also known as the green-carte lottery).

Overall, of the 1 meg immigrants who received green cards in FY 2019, 49 percent were immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (an uncapped visa category), followed by another 20 percent of family-related immigrants (whose admission is limited past visa and country caps).

X percent of new green-card holders adapted from refugee or asylee status. About 14 pct of new LPRs were either sponsored by their employers or self-petitioned, including investors who create jobs. Approximately 4 percent were diversity lottery winners.

What are the top five countries of birth for new permanent immigrants?

The top five countries of birth in FY 2019 were Mexico (fifteen percent), mainland Prc (half-dozen percentage), India (five percent), the Dominican Republic (5 percent), and the Philippines (4 pct). These countries represented near 36 percent of everyone who received a green menu in FY 2019.

How many people are selected in the Diverseness Visa lottery and where practice they come up from?

In FY 2019, 43,000 people from countries with depression rates of immigration to the United States received a green bill of fare as variety immigrants, representing approximately iv percent of the 1 million new LPRs.

The leading countries of nativity of DV immigrants were Egypt and Nepal, together accounting for about 14 percent of DV entrants adjusting to LPR status. Other top countries of origin were the Democratic Republic of the congo (6 percent), Russia (5 percentage), Republic of albania (v percent), Ukraine (4 percent), and Ethiopia, Republic of cameroon, Turkey, and People's democratic republic of algeria (three percent each).

For some countries, the Variety Visa lottery represents a major share of all new LPRs. For example, out of all nationals of Tajikistan adjusting to LPR status in FY 2019, 72 percent were DV immigrants. Shares were also loftier for nationals of Algeria (58 percent) and Republic of azerbaijan (55 percent). DV lottery winners represented betwixt 40 percent and 50 percent of new LPRs originally from Turkmenistan, Sudan, Benin, and Albania.

Created in 1990, the lottery sets aside 55,000 light-green cards annually, of which 5,000 must be used for applicants nether the Nicaraguan and Central America Relief Act of 1997. Interest in the lottery is significantly higher than the amount of available visas; about vi.7 million qualified applications were registered for the DV-2021, covering 11.8 million applicants and their spouses and minor children. This number was down from fourteen.7 million in DV-2020 and fourteen.iv million in DV-2019. (The application number varies each year in part considering of which countries are eligible.) Before receiving permission to immigrate, lottery winners must provide proof of a high school education or its equivalent or show ii years of piece of work feel inside the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or feel. They besides must pass a medical examination and a background check.

Read the well-nigh contempo State SectionVisa Bulletin for more on the DV lottery.
For more information on the Diversity Visa program, read The Diversity Visa Program Holds Lessons for Hereafter Legal Clearing Reform .

Temporary Visas

How many people take temporary visas?

Co-ordinate to the nigh recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates available at this writing, two.3 one thousand thousand foreign nationals on diverse temporary visas resided in the United States during FY 2016, up from about 2 million in FY 2015. Most half (1.one 1000000) were temporary workers and their families, followed by 40 percent who were strange students and their families (870,000).

Sixty-ane pct were from Asia. Nationals of countries in Europe and Due north America deemed for xv pct each. The top five countries of origin—India, China, Mexico, Canada, and South korea—deemed for 57 pct of all residents on temporary visas.

Note: This estimate of temporary visa holders includes temporary workers, international students, commutation visitors, diplomats, and representatives of foreign governments and international organizations. It excludes tourists and other short-term visitors. North America includes Canada, Bermuda, Central America, and the Caribbean area.

Read about temporary nonimmigrant population trends in Temporary Visa Holders in the United states .

How many people entered the Usa on nonimmigrant visas?

According to the most recently available information from DHS, 42.7 million individuals entered in FY 2016 as I-94 nonimmigrants on diverse temporary visas. On average, each I-94 nonimmigrant was admitted 1.8 times. This is the offset time, and to date the only time, the DHS Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS) has estimated the number of unique individuals who came temporarily, equally opposed to the number of nonimmigrant admissions or entries.

Virtually of these nonimmigrants—34.ii million—entered every bit tourists, followed by 3.7 million as concern visitors. Of these, 15 million tourists and one.vii 1000000 business travelers were from Visa Waiver Plan countries, pregnant they did not need a visa to enter the United States. Farther, approximately 1 million international students entered on F-1 visas. OIS additionally estimated that nearly 290,300 individuals were admitted on loftier-skilled worker H-1B visas (by and large from India, China, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Mexico) and 81,600 on nonagricultural temporary or seasonal worker H-2B visas (mostly from Mexico, Jamaica, Republic of guatemala, South Africa, and Canada).

Read more on Nonimmigrant Admissions and Estimated Nonimmigrant Individuals .

How many nonimmigrant visas does the Country Section result?

In FY 2020, the almanac number of nonimmigrant visas issued by the State Department decreased for the fourth time since 2015, to 4 one thousand thousand—a 54 percent decline from the 8.7 million issued in FY 2019.

70-one per centum of the 4 million nonimmigrant visas issued in FY 2020 were temporary business and tourist visas (B and BCC visas). The next largest visa form was for temporary workers and trainees and their family unit members (H visa categories), who comprised 12 percent of nonimmigrant visas issued in FY 2020. The 3rd largest group was for academic students and substitution visitors and their family unit members (F and J visa categories), who comprised 6 percent of nonimmigrant visas.

In addition to the Trump assistants'south travel ban, which was extended to six other countries in early 2020, the sharp decline in nonimmigrant visa issuances in FY 2020 can be attributed to the worldwide slowdown in mobility amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the administration'due south accompanying immigration restrictions. On June 22, 2020, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation suspending the issuance of certain nonimmigrant visas. This announcement applied to H-1B visas (for temporary workers in specialty occupations), H-2B visas (for nonagricultural workers), certain J visas (for exchange visitors), and L visas (for intracompany transferees), every bit well every bit visas issued to the dependents of these nonimmigrants.

Note: The number of visas issued does non necessarily friction match the number of strange nationals who entered the United States in the same year considering some nonimmigrant visas may not be used.

Read the Country Department'southwardAlmanac Reports of the Visa Role .
Read the Country Department's fact sail on Visa Refusals.

How many nonimmigrant admissions does DHS grant in a year?

DHS granted 186 meg nonimmigrant admissions in FY 2019, of which 105 meg were admissions of Canadians and Mexicans traveling for business or pleasure. These travelers are exempt from completing the I-94 arrival/departure form at the port of entry, thus DHS does non provide characteristics for this group.

In FY 2019, there were 81.half-dozen million total temporary admissions of I-94 nonimmigrants, similar to the 81.3 million a year earlier (see Table 4).

Table 4. Nonimmigrant Admissions by Category, FY 2019 (I-94 merely)

Note: Nonimmigrant admissions represent the number of entries. Individuals may have multiple entries inside the year. The DHS Office of Clearing Statistics (OIS) reports characteristics of nonimmigrants who must complete an I-94 inflow/departure form at entry.

Source: DHS Function of Immigration Statistics, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 2019.

Read more in the Nonimmigrant Admissions to the U.S. fact sheet.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

How many refugees entered the United States, and where were they from?

Every yr, the president in consultation with Congress sets the annual refugee admissions ceiling and allocations by region of origin. The Trump administration ready the annual ceiling at 18,000 in FY 2020 and xv,000 in FY 2021, down from the 30,000 ceiling of FY 2019 and the lowest since the resettlement program was formally created in 1980. The Biden assistants has pledged to contrary the cuts, including by raising the FY 2022 ceiling to 125,000 refugees.

In FY 2020, more than than 11,800 refugees were resettled in the United States, amounting to 66 percent of the admission ceiling allocated for the twelvemonth. This represents a 61 subtract from the 30,000 admissions in FY 2019.

The Democratic Republic of the congo (DRC), Myanmar (also known as Burma), Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Iraq were the primary countries of nationality, accounting for 68 percent (8,100) of all refugees resettled in FY 2020. Rounding out the pinnacle x were Syria, Eritrea, Republic of el salvador, Moldova, and Sudan. Together, nationals of the meridian ten countries comprised 85 percent (10,000) of all refugee arrivals in FY 2020 (see Tabular array 5).

Tabular array 5. Top Ten Countries of Refugee Admissions by Nationality, FY 2020

Source: MPI tabulation of Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing Organisation (WRAPS) data from the State Section's Agency of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

For more data on refugees, including top resettlement states, read Refugees and Asylees in the United states of america .
Acquire more on refugee admissions by year, national origin, and destination with State Section WRAPS data.

What is the female person share of the resettled refugee population?

In FY 2020, about 48 percent of all resettled refugees in the United States were female person.

What are the virtually common religions of refugees?

Refugees who identified as Christian (including Pentecostalists, Catholics, and Baptists) made up 74 percent of all admitted refugees in FY 2020. Muslim refugees (including Sunni and Shiite) comprised 22 percent of resettled refugees. The remainder included Buddhists (ane percent) and Hindu (under 1 per centum). Virtually 1 percent of refugees reported non existence affiliated with whatever religion or being atheists.

Overall, the United states of america admitted more than Christian refugees in the by decade than Muslim ones. Betwixt FY 2010 and FY 2020, Christians represented 48 percent (286,100) of the 601,000 refugees with known religion data. In comparing, 33 pct (201,000) of refugees admitted during the same menses were Muslim.

FY 2016 marked the only time since 2010 when the United states of america resettled more Muslim refugees (38,900 individuals, or 46 per centum of the total 85,000 refugees in FY 2016) than Christians (44 percent, 37,500 individuals). Since the Trump administration implemented restrictions on admissions of nationals of particular countries, additional vetting procedures, and historically low admissions ceilings, the proportion of resettled Muslim and Christian refugees has inverse substantially in the concluding five years.

Annotation: Refugee demographic data is based on cocky-identification, so religious breakdowns include major religions as well as denominations.

What are the nigh common languages spoken among refugees?

In FY 2020, the meridian languages spoken by resettled refugees were Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, and Kiswahili. Rounding the top ten were Spanish, Kinyarwanda, Sgaw Karen, Kibembe, Tigrinya, and Dari. Speakers of the pinnacle ten languages made upwardly 71 per centum of all refugees resettled that yr.

How many aviary applications were filed and where are aviary seekers from?

Approximately 92,800 affirmative aviary applications were received by U.Southward. Citizenship and Clearing Services (USCIS) in FY 2020, the everyman number in five years. This marked the third year of declining applications later eight years of growth, and is at least partly due to the pandemic-related closure of USCIS offices for nearly three months. Applicants for affirmative asylum must be present in the United States, and practise non include those seeking asylum through the defensive asylum process while in removal proceedings.

Meanwhile, 151,800 defensive asylum applications were filed with the Department of Justice'south immigration court system, known equally the Executive Function for Clearing Review (EOIR), in FY 2020—a similar number as FY 2019 and a 31 per centum increase from the 116,000 applications filed in FY 2018.

What is the asylum approval rate?

According to USCIS data, 31 percent of affirmative aviary petitions adjudicated in FY 2019 were approved, a slight increase from the 30 per centum in FY 2018 but a pass up from the 37 percent in FY 2017 and 43 pct in FY 2016. (USCIS information for FY 2020 were not available at the time of writing.)

Asylum petitions handled past immigration courts have undergone a steadier downward tendency. In FY 2020, 26 percent of such petitions were canonical, versus 29 percentage in FY 2019, 33 percent in FY 2018, 37 pct in FY 2017, and 43 percent in FY 2016.

How many people receive aviary status?

In FY 2019, 46,500 individuals, including principal applicants and their spouses and/or unmarried children under historic period 21, were granted asylum after seeking protection upon or after arrival in the United states of america—a 24 percent increase from 37,600 in FY 2018. An additional 3,300 individuals received derivative asylum status in the United States as immediate family members of principal applicants and 6,300 were approved for derivative condition exterior the Usa. (Note that this number reflects travel documents issued to these family unit members, non their arrival in the Us.)

Nigh sixty percent of asylum grants came through USCIS (rather than in the immigration courts), of which there were 27,600 in FY 2019, up thirteen per centum from 24,400 in FY 2018 and upwards 77 percent from 15,600 in FY 2017. This increase is partly a result of a January 2018 policy change past USCIS to begin adjudicating asylum applications on a last-in, get-go-out basis, which the agency has said discourages non-meritorious cases.

Red china was the top state of origin for those receiving asylum in FY 2019, with seven,500 people (or 16 percent of full aviary grants), followed closely by Venezuela, with 6,800 individuals (accounting for xv percent). Other top countries of origin were Republic of el salvador (with 3,200), Guatemala (2,600), and India (2,300). Together, nationals of these 5 countries made up 48 percent of those receiving asylum in FY 2019.

What is the electric current asylum application backlog?

Due to the large awarding volume and limited resources, both the affirmative and defensive aviary systems have extensive backlogs. Every bit of December 2020, according to USCIS, at that place were 350,000 affirmative cases pending; EOIR reported over 570,000 awaiting asylum cases.

For more information, meet the USCIS affirmative asylum quarterly reports, the workload and arbitrament statistics information on asylum cases from EOIR, and the Refugees and Asylees Annual Period Report from DHS'south Office of Immigration Statistics.
For more than on the immigration courtroom backlog and aviary share, encounter the MPI report The U.S. Asylum System in Crisis: Charting a Way Forward .

Unauthorized Immigrants

How many unauthorized immigrants are in the United States?

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) has estimated there were most 11 meg unauthorized immigrants in the Usa in 2018. Almost half resided in three states: California (24 percent), Texas (xvi percent), and New York (8 percent). The vast bulk (81 percentage) lived in 178 counties with 10,000 or more unauthorized immigrants each, of which the superlative 5—Los Angeles County, CA; Harris County, TX; Dallas County, TX; Cook County, IL; and Orange County, CA—deemed for 19 pct of all unauthorized immigrants.

Read Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States: Stable Numbers, Irresolute Origins for an overview of the characteristics of this population.
Visit the Information Hub'due south Unauthorized Immigrant Population Profiles for detailed sociodemographic information for the Usa, 41 states and the District of Columbia, and 127 counties.
MPI estimates of the number of unauthorized individuals who could receive legal status nether diverse policy scenarios, including DREAMers, essential workers, and farmworkers, in Back on the Tabular array: U.Due south. Legalization and the Unauthorized Immigrant Groups that Could Factor in the Argue . Run into also MPI Estimates of Potential Beneficiaries under the DREAM Act of 2021 .

Where are unauthorized immigrants from?

Mexicans and Central Americans accounted for roughly two-thirds (68 percent, or 7.4 one thousand thousand) of U.S. unauthorized immigrants as of 2014-18, MPI estimates. About i.five meg (14 pct) were from Asia; 783,000 (vii percent) from Due south America; 648,000 (6 percent) from Europe, Canada, or Oceania; 406,000 (iv pct) from the Caribbean area; and 230,000 (2 percent) from Africa.

The tiptop five countries of birth for unauthorized immigrants were Mexico (51 pct), El salvador (seven percentage), Guatemala (v percent), and India and Honduras (4 percent each).

This interactive map, Unauthorized Immigrant Populations by Country and Region, Acme States and Counties of Residence, 2018, displays top U.S. concentrations by land or region of origin.

How many unauthorized immigrants live with children under age 18?

About 4.4 million unauthorized immigrants (42 pct of all unauthorized immigrants ages 15 and older) lived with one or more children under historic period 18 as of 2014-18, MPI estimates. Of this grouping, about 84 pct (3.vii million) resided with at least i U.S.-denizen child under historic period eighteen and 16 percentage (704,000) lived with only not-U.Southward.-citizen children.

How many children under age 18 live with at least one unauthorized immigrant parent?

Approximately 5.ii meg children under age xviii lived with an unauthorized immigrant parent during the 2014-18 menses, representing vii percent of the U.S. kid population. Nigh 85 percent (4.4 million) of these children were U.S. citizens, another 14 percent (728,000) were themselves unauthorized, and ane percent (63,000) were legally present, including LPRs and those with temporary visas.

How many people are eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program under original rules and how many applications have been received since its launch in 2012?

The DACA program, appear on June xv, 2012, offers a ii-yr grant of deportation relief and work authorization to eligible young unauthorized immigrants. Requirements for eligibility include:

being at least fifteen years onetime;
having entered the The states before the age of 16;
having continuously resided in the United States since June fifteen, 2007;
beingness enrolled in schoolhouse, having earned a high school diploma or its equivalent, or being an honorably discharged veteran; and
having not been bedevilled of a felony, a meaning misdemeanor, or iii or more misdemeanors; or otherwise posing a threat to public safety or national security.

On September 5, 2017, the Trump administration appear the termination of DACA, with a six-calendar month wind-down. Multiple courtroom challenges over the decision led to preliminary injunctions that allowed DACA recipients to renew their protections starting Jan 2018, but only for current holders or those who held DACA in the by. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2020 that the DACA recission violated federal police.

Afterwards additional federal district court rulings, including one in Nov 2020 invalidating a DHS policy memo seeking to bar new DACA applicants and shorten work authorization periods, USCIS has been accepting new DACA applications. On his start day in office, President Joe Biden announced his intent to preserve the DACA program.

MPI estimates that 1.7 million individuals were DACA-eligible equally of December 2020, 1.3 million of whom were immediately eligible under the program's age and educational requirements.

Between August xv, 2012 (when the government began accepting applications) and September 30, 2020, a total of 827,100 applicants were approved, suggesting this is the maximum number of people who have ever held DACA status at i point or some other during the life of the program. The agency granted 90 percent of the 914,600 initial applications; ix percentage (82,400) were denied, and iv,000 remained pending.

The summit five states of residence for accepted initial applications since the programme's inception are California (28 percent), Texas (16 per centum), Illinois and New York (5 percent each), and Florida (4 percentage). The elevation five countries of origin of accustomed applicants are Mexico (78 percent), Republic of el salvador (iv per centum), Guatemala (iii per centum), Honduras (2 percentage), and Republic of korea (i pct).

How many people however have DACA status?

USCIS reports as of September xxx, 2020, 640,700 individuals had active DACA status.

The meridian states of residence for DACA active participants were California (29 percent), Texas (16 percent), and Illinois (5 per centum), followed by New York, Florida, Northward Carolina, and Arizona (most 4 percent each).

The peak countries of origin of active DACA program participants were United mexican states (81 percent), El Salvador (4 percent), Guatemala (three percent), Honduras (2 percent), and Peru, Republic of korea, Brazil, and Ecuador (about 1 percent each).

Find USCIS data on DACA applications and approvals.
View MPI estimates of DACA plan participation numbers and the immediately eligible at national and land levels, as well as for top countries of origin.

How many people are covered by Temporary Protected Status?

Since the Clearing Act of 1990, the United states of america has occasionally granted a form of humanitarian relief called Temporary Protected Condition (TPS) when the origin countries of strange nationals in the United states experience natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other circumstances making return unsafe. TPS offers work say-so and protection from displacement for six- to 18-month periods. El Salvador was the kickoff country to be designated for TPS, in 1990, to protect Salvadorans who had fled its civil war.

Since 1990, 22 countries have been designated for TPS. Ten countries currently are designated: El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian arab republic, and Republic of yemen. In 2020, an estimated 319,000 people from these ten countries had maintained active status under TPS, with the largest groups being Salvadorans (195,000), Hondurans (57,000), and Haitians (46,000).

The Trump administration attempted to halt extension of TPS for immigrants from Republic of el salvador, Republic of haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan; court cases challenged the attempt and TPS protections have been extended for those countries through October 4, 2021.

Read more than most the TPS program in this Migration Data Source commodity .
View an overview of the TPS program .

How many unaccompanied children and families have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border?

Enforcement encounters at the Southwest border decreased significantly in FY 2020, dropping sharply during the early days of the COVID-nineteen pandemic and increasing slightly in the final couple months of the fiscal year. (The term "enforcement encounters," used by DHS, covers both apprehensions and the expulsions of most Southwest border arrivals since a pandemic-related public-health gild took effect in March 2020.) The U.S. Border Patrol made 52,200 encounters of children and adults travelling as families (known as "family units") and about thirty,600 unaccompanied children forth the Southwest border in FY 2020. This represents an 85 percent decrease from the 474,000 family units and 76,000 unaccompanied minors apprehended in FY 2019.

The apprehensions in FY 2019 were the highest recorded since recordkeeping began in FY 2008 for unaccompanied children and in FY 2012 for family unit units. But the FY 2020 encounters were besides much lower than the 107,200 family unit units and 50,000 unaccompanied children apprehended in FY 2018, pointing to the impact of COVID-xix on activity at the border. In April, before long after adopting new restrictions in response to the pandemic, only slightly more than than 700 family units were intercepted at the Southwest border, a 79 percent decrease from the previous calendar month. These children and families were primarily from Mexico, with smaller numbers from Honduras, El Salvador, and Republic of guatemala

Note: The term "family unit unit" refers to individuals—either a child under 18 years old, parent, or legal guardian—apprehended with a family member by the U.S. Border Patrol.

View the most upwards-to-engagement DHS data on apprehensions of unaccompanied children and family units.
View more DHS data on FY 2020 apprehensions.

Clearing Enforcement

Note: The government financial yr runs from October 1 to September 30. All figures for clearing control and enforcement given here are for the fiscal year. The data presented here are the most recent offered by U.South. Customs and Edge Protection (CBP) and U.Due south. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice).

How many apprehensions of unauthorized immigrants occur at the edge annually?

CBP reported 405,000 enforcement encounters at both the southern and northern borders in FY 2020, a significant subtract from 859,500 a yr earlier.

Note: Apprehensions and expulsions are events, not individuals. In other words, the same individual tin can be apprehended more than in one case, with each apprehension counted separately. The recidivism rate has increased sharply since the expulsions policy began, given intercepted migrants are non being put into formal removal proceedings that could trigger criminal sanctions upon a future re-entry.

How many people are arrested past ICE within the United States yearly?

Water ice fabricated 103,600 administrative arrests in FY 2020, down 28 percent from a year earlier. Water ice has attributed the drop to a change in focus during COVID-19. An administrative arrest is the arrest of an private for a civil violation of U.S. immigration law, which is afterwards adjudicated past an immigration judge or through other administrative processes.

How many people are deported per twelvemonth?

Removals and returns, which are carried out both by Ice and CBP, effect in the confirmed movement of inadmissible or deportable aliens out of the United States. DHS reported a full of 531,300 removals and returns during FY 2019. CBP carried out 264,100 removals and returns in FY 2019, up 39 per centum from 190,300 a year earlier. Water ice carried out 267,300 removals and returns in FY 2019, a iv pct increase from the prior year.

CBP data on FY 2020 returns and removals were non available at the time of writing, but ICE effectuated 185,900 removals and returns, a 30 per centum decrease from FY 2019.

For more data, see FY 2020 Water ice Enforcement and Removal Operations Report .

Naturalization Trends

How many immigrants are naturalized citizens?

In FY 2019, 23.2 million immigrants were naturalized U.Due south. citizens, accounting for approximately 52 percent of the total foreign-born population (44.9 1000000) and 7 per centum of the U.S. population (328.2 million), co-ordinate to ACS estimates.

Of the 23.2 million naturalized citizens, 32 percent were naturalized between FY 2010 and 2019, 28 percent between FY 2000 and 2009, and 39 percent prior to FY 2000.

Employ this Naturalization in the U.s.a., 1910-Nowadays tool to learn more almost naturalization population over fourth dimension.

How many immigrants get U.S. citizens annually?

USCIS naturalized about 844,000 greenish-bill of fare holders in FY 2019, an 11 percent increase from the 762,000 in FY 2018. The number of petitions for naturalization filed in FY 2019 (831,000) roughshod by ane percent from a year earlier (837,000). At the same time, the number of denied petitions increased by 6 percent, from 93,000 in FY 2018 to 98,000 the following year. USCIS is taking longer to process naturalization applications, with average processing time increasing from 5.6 months in FY 2016 to 9.9 months in FY 2019.

From a historical perspective, naturalizations have increased dramatically in contempo decades. On boilerplate, fewer than 120,000 LPRs became citizens each year between 1950 and 1969, 210,000 in the 1980s, 500,000 in the 1990s, and 680,000 during the 2000s. Naturalizations reached an all-time high in FY 2008, increasing 59 percent from 660,000 the prior year to 1,047,000. This came as a result of impending application fee increases and the promotion of U.S. citizenship in accelerate of the 2008 presidential election. Betwixt 2010 and 2019, an average 730,000 immigrants received U.South. citizenship annually.

For more historical information on naturalization, run across Naturalization in the United States, 1910-Present.
For more information, meet Naturalization Trends in the United states .
For more information on USCIS processing times, see Historical National Boilerplate Processing Time for All USCIS Offices.

How many strange nationals become U.S. citizens through armed forces naturalization?

In FY 2019, three,800 strange-born military personnel became U.S. citizens, a xvi percentage drop from the prior year (4,500) and the lowest number since FY 2002.

For more information on the foreign born in the U.S. military, see Noncitizens in the U.Southward. Military: Navigating National Security Concerns and Recruitment Needs .

Where are newly naturalized citizens from?

Of the new U.S. citizens in FY 2019, 14 pct were born in Mexico, 8 percent in India, and 5 percent each in the Philippines and China (encounter Table 6). Immigrants from these four countries, together with those from Republic of cuba, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Iraq, Republic of el salvador, and Jamaica comprised the top ten countries of nascency for newly naturalized citizens in FY 2019. These countries accounted for 48 percent of the 844,000 new U.S. citizens that fiscal yr.

Table half-dozen. Acme Ten Countries of Origin of Newly Naturalized Citizens, FY 2019

Source: DHS Office of Clearing Statistics, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 2019.

Where practice newly naturalized citizens live?

In FY 2019, 55 pct of the newly naturalized lived in one of v states: California, with 18 percent (148,800); followed by 12 percent in Texas (97,700); xi percent in Florida (96,100); 10 percent in New York (85,400); and 4 percent in New Jersey (36,700).

The elevation five metropolitan areas with the largest number of naturalizations were New York-Newark-Jersey City (108,000), Miami-Ft Lauderdale-Pompano Embankment (60,600), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (56,900), Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (33,800), and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (thirty,800). These v metro areas accounted for 34 pct of all naturalizations in FY 2019.

How many green-card holders are eligible to naturalize?

According to the latest available DHS estimates, nearly nine.1 million of the 13.six one thousand thousand green-bill of fare holders residing in the U.s.a. on January 1, 2019 were eligible to naturalize.

For more data, see Estimates of the Lawful Permanent Resident Population .

How long does it accept on average for light-green-carte du jour holders to naturalize?

On average, immigrants held green cards for viii years before becoming U.S. citizens in 2019, unchanged from the twelvemonth earlier. The time varied by land of origin: African-born immigrants spent an average 6 years in LPR condition before naturalization, followed past those built-in in Asia (seven years), South America (8 years), Europe (nine years), and Oceania and North America (including Central America, x years each).

In general, naturalization requires existence at least 18 years of historic period, passing English and civic exams, and for nigh, residing in the United States with LPR status continuously for at least five years (three years for those married to a U.Southward. citizen).

For more information, meet DHS Annual Catamenia Reports.
Read the USCIS Naturalization Eligibility Requirements.

Visa Backlogs

How many visa applications for permanent immigration (green cards) are backlogged?

Because of limits on certain visa categories and per-land caps, the U.S. government in some cases is all the same processing applications that are more than than two decades erstwhile. In February 2021, the State Section was processing some family-sponsored visa applications dating to September 1996, and employment-related visa applications from April 2009.

Co-ordinate to data on petitions submitted to the State Department, there were almost iv million applicants (including spouses and modest children) who were on the waiting list as of Nov i, 2020, a 10 per centum increment from the aforementioned point in 2019 (when there were three.6 million applicants).

The overwhelming majority of backlogs were family-sponsored applicants (three.8 one thousand thousand, which includes the principal bidder and his or her firsthand family unit members). Almost 216,000 were employment-sponsored applicants and their families.

Of the overall four 1000000 applicants, 1.2 meg were citizens of Mexico, followed by those from the Philippines (318,000), Bharat (310,000), mainland People's republic of china (247,000), and Vietnam (218,000). Family- and employment-based prospective immigrants who are waiting to adjust their status to lawful permanent residence from within the United States are not included in the Land Department estimates.

USCIS likewise publishes backlog statistics, but only for petitions canonical in one of the v employment-based categories. As of Nov 2020, slightly more than 500,000 canonical employment-based immigrant petitions were awaiting a priority engagement. The effigy corresponds to the number of chief applicants covered by these petitions simply excludes their dependents. To MPI'southward knowledge, USCIS has not published backlog statistics on other types of light-green-card applications the agency adjudicates.

In other words, the overall number of people waiting for a dark-green carte du jour—within and outside of the United States—is likely to be larger than the four meg reported past the State Department and 500,000 reported past USCIS (as of November 2020).

For more details well-nigh expect times by immigration category and country of origin, see the State Department Visa Bulletin.
For more on capped employment- and family-based preference categories, see Explainer: How the U.Due south. Legal Immigration Organization Works .
Read Going to the Dorsum of the Line: A Primer on Lines, Visa Categories, and Wait Times for more on the green-card backlog.
Read the National Visa Eye annual study on immigrant visa waiting list and view USCIS employment-based immigrant petition backlog data .

Did You Know California Immigration Fscts

Source: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states-2020