Legal Entrants to the United States, 2002

Class of Admission

Number

% of total

IMMIGRANTS AND NON-IMMIGRANTS

28,970,871

100.0%

IMMIGRANTS

1,063,732

3.7%

Family-sponsored preferences

187,069

0.6%

Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens

486,748

1.7%

Employment-based preferences

174,968

0.6%

Diversity Lottery

42,829

0.1%

Refugees and asylees

126,084

0.4%

Parolees, Soviet and Indochinese

6,012

0.02%

Nicaraguan Adjustment Act of 1997

9,495

0.03%

Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998

5,383

0.02%

Other

25,144

0.1%

NON-IMMIGRANTS (a)

27,907,139

96.3%

Tourists (B2)

19,967,281

68.9%

Business travelers (B1)

4,376,935

15.1%

Temporary Workers and trainees

655,949

2.3%

Specialty Occupations (H1b)

370,490

1.3%

Performing services unavailable in the U.S. (H2)

102,615

0.4%

Nonagricultural workers (H2b)

86,987

0.3%

Agricultural workers (H2A)

15,628

0.1%

Professional workers, NAFTA (TN)

73,699

0.3%

Internationally Recognized athletes or entertainers (P1)

41,453

0.1%

Workers of extraordinary ability/achievement (O1)

25,008

0.1%

Workers in religious occupations (R1)

19,115

0.1%

Artists or entertainers in culturally unique programs (P2)

9,487

0.03%

Workers accompanying and assisting O1 workers (O2)

4,156

0.01%

Other Temporary Workers

9,926

0.03%

Spouses and children of temporary workers and trainees

155,505

0.5%

Students

646,016

2.2%

Transit aliens (C1, C2, C3, C4)

614,934

2.1%

Exchange visitors (J1)

325,580

1.1%

Intercompany transferees (L1)

313,699

1.1%

Spouses and children of intercompany transferees (L2)

140,446

0.5%

Treaty traders, investors, and families (E1, E2)

171,368

0.6%

Foreign government officials and families (A1, A2, A3)

140,898

0.5%

Representatives to International Organizations, and families

99,012

0.3%

Legal Immigration Family Equity Act (LIFE) (K3, K4, V1-V3)

60,838

0.2%

Representatives of the foreign media

33,414

0.1%

Fiancees of U.S. citizens (K1)

27,340

0.1%

Victims of Trafficking and Violence Act (T1-T4, U1-U4)

965

0.0%

Unknown

73,932

0.3%

Other

103,027

0.4%

a. Non-immigrant admissions reflect each entry to the U.S., and is thus greater than the number of

visas issued.

Source: Dept. of Homeland Security, 2002 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, October 2003.

Tables A and 26. (Calculations by Ed Rubenstein)