Employment-based permanent immigrant visas and temporary nonimmigrant work visas issued, including principal and derivative beneficiaries, 1987–2019
| Temporary work visas | Employment-based LPR | |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 245,645 | 57,519 |
| 1988 | 261,712 | 58,727 |
| 1989 | 296,598 | 57,741 |
| 1990 | 315,369 | 58,192 |
| 1991 | 328,985 | 59,525 |
| 1992 | 325,155 | 116,198 |
| 1993 | 340,060 | 147,012 |
| 1994 | 375,207 | 123,291 |
| 1995 | 414,434 | 85,336 |
| 1996 | 429,580 | 117,499 |
| 1997 | 492,600 | 90,607 |
| 1998 | 539,221 | 77,517 |
| 1999 | 624,899 | 56,678 |
| 2000 | 727,234 | 106,642 |
| 2001 | 815,944 | 178,702 |
| 2002 | 785,802 | 173,814 |
| 2003 | 809,657 | 81,727 |
| 2004 | 915,188 | 155,330 |
| 2005 | 862,659 | 246,877 |
| 2006 | 961,855 | 159,081 |
| 2007 | 1,103,767 | 162,176 |
| 2008 | 1,061,182 | 164,741 |
| 2009 | 883,654 | 140,903 |
| 2010 | 937,404 | 148,343 |
| 2011 | 960,223 | 139,339 |
| 2012 | 992,446 | 143,998 |
| 2013 | 1,072,981 | 161,110 |
| 2014 | 1,163,160 | 151,596 |
| 2015 | 1,235,196 | 144,047 |
| 2016 | 1,356,459 | 137,893 |
| 2017 | 1,414,241 | 137,855 |
| 2018 | 1,406,139 | 138,171 |
| 2019 | 1,491,209 | 139,458 |
Notes: The Immigration Act of 1990 was enacted on November 29, 1990. LPR stands for lawful permanent resident. Employment-based LPR refers to permanent immigrant visas in the employment-based preference categories, which confer permanent residence on the migrant beneficiary. For more background on employment-based permanent immigrant visas, see USCIS, “Permanent Workers,” Working in the United States, last reviewed/updated Jan. 9, 2020.
Data shown in the figure include employment-based immigrant visas, preference categories 1–5, and nonimmigrant visas in the A-3, CW-1, CW-2, E-1, E-2, E-2C, E-3, E-3D, E-3R, F-1/OPT, G-5, H-1, H-1A, H-1B, H-1B1, H-1C, H-2, H-2A, H-2B, H-4, J-1, J-2, L-1, L-2, O-1, O-2, O-3, P-1, P-2, P-3, P-4, Q-1, R-1, R-2, TN, and TD classifications.
Source
Author’s analysis of U.S. Department of State, Nonimmigrant Visa Statistics; Interagency Working Group on U.S. Government-Sponsored International Exchanges and Training; U.S. Department of State, J-1 Visa Website; Office of Immigration Statistics, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (various years); Government Accountability Office, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: DHS Implementation of Immigration Laws, Statement of David Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO-19-376T (February 27, 2019); U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “International Student and Exchange Visitor Data,” Student and Exchange Visitor Program Data Library; USCIS, I-765 approval data, various years, USCIS Electronic Reading Room.