Figure M

An average of one-million green cards were granted per year over the past two decades: Green cards granted in the employment-based, family-based, humanitarian, diversity visa, and other categories, 2003–2023

Year Employment-based Family-based Diversity visa Humanitarian (refugees + asylees) Other Total
2003 81,727 490,082 46,335 44,764 40,647 703,542
2004 155,330 632,170 50,084 71,230 49,082 957,883
2005 246,877 649,085 46,234 142,962 37,111 1,122,257
2006 159,081 802,577 44,471 216,454 43,552 1,266,129
2007 162,176 689,820 42,127 136,125 22,610 1,052,415
2008 164,741 716,244 41761 166,392 17,988 1,107,126
2009 140,903 747,413 47879 177,368 17,255 1,130,818
2010 148,343 691,003 49763 136,291 17,225 1,042,625
2011 139,339 688,089 50103 168,460 16,049 1,062,040
2012 143,998 680,799 40320 150,614 15,900 1,031,631
2013 161,110 649,763 45618 119,630 14,432 990,553
2014 151,596 645,560 53490 134,242 31,630 1,016,518
2015 144,047 678,978 47934 151,995 28,077 1,051,031
2016 137,893 804,793 49865 157,425 33,529 1,183,505
2017 137,855 748,746 51592 146,003 42,971 1,127,167
2018 138,171 695,524 45,350 185,909 31,657 1,096,611
2019 139,458 709,904 43,463 106,911 32,029 1,031,765
2020 148,959 442,708 25,028 63,875 26,792 707,362
2021 193,338 451,086 15,145 56,397 24,036 740,002
2022 270,284 594,309 43,233 83,082 27,441 1,018,349
2023 196,760 755,830 67,350 99,360 53,610 1,172,910
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Economic Policy Institute

Notes: Total green cards include all green cards issued in each fiscal year, including green cards in minor categories that are not considered family-based, employment-based, humanitarian, or diversity green cards (represented in “Other” column). Family-based (FB) category is the sum of the immediate relative category with the FB preference categories. Humanitarian column is the sum of the green cards issued to refugees and asylees.

Source: Office of Homeland Security Statistics, Table 6, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, various years, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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