Updated October 19, 2023

Citizenship and Immigration Statuses of the U.S. Foreign-Born
Population
The U.S. foreign-born population consists of individuals
living in the United States who were not U.S. citizens atbirth. In 2022, according to the American Community
Survey (ACS), an estimated 46.2 million foreign-bornpeople resided in the United States, representing 13.9% ofthe total U.S. population. The ACS is a U.S. Census Bureau
survey conducted each month with a sample of households
in 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

• naturalized U.S. citizens, who acquired U.S.

The proportion of foreign-born individuals among the total
U.S. population has changed over time. Census data for theperiod from 1850 to 2000 show the foreign-born population
was at its highest proportion (greater than 14%) in 1910,
1890, and 1870.

Researchers find that government surveys tend toundercount the foreign-born population, particularly theunauthorized, compared with the native-born population.
Because of these undercounts, and different survey andadministrative data sources used, the sum of the subgroups
enumerated in each section of this In Focus exceeds thetotal foreign-born population as measured by the ACS.

Data from the last century show that the percentage offoreign-born persons in 1920 (13.2%) was similar to current
levels. It then declined over the next five decades, reachinga low of 4.7% in 1970. Over the last five decades, theproportion has increased (Figure 1).
Figure 1. U.S. Foreign-Born: Total and Percentage ofTotal Population, 1920-2022

Source: 1920-2000: Campbell Gibson and Kay Jung, “HistoricalCensus Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the UnitedStates: 1850 to 2000,” U.S. Census Bureau Population Division, 2006.
2010 and 2022: ACS, Table B05001.

The foreign-born are heterogeneous with regard to citizenshipand immigration status. They include the following:• resident nonimmigrants, who are a subset ofnonimmigrant (temporary) visa holders admitted for alimited period of time and specified purpose whoseclasses of admission are associated with U.S. residency,
including temporary workers, students, exchange
visitors, and diplomats;• lawful permanent residents (LPRs, or green cardholders), who can reside and work lawfully andpermanently in the United States;

citizenship generally after fulfilling residency and otherrequirements; and• unauthorized immigrants who have entered the UnitedStates without inspection or have overstayed their period of
lawful admission, including those who hold a temporary,
discretionary status such as Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Resident Nonimmigrants
Nonimmigrant visas are issued to foreign nationals forspecific purposes and on temporary bases. Typically, theDepartment of State (DOS) has issued 9 million to 10
million nonimmigrant visas annually. Nonimmigrant visa
issuances were substantially lower in FY2020 (4 million)
and FY2021 (2.8 million) due to COVID-19-related
closures at U.S. embassies and consulates, the temporary
suspension of entry for some categories of nonimmigrants
during those years, and travel disruptions. In FY2022,
nonimmigrant visa issuances increased to 6.8 million.
The majority of nonimmigrant visas issued are in categories
related to nonresidential purposes (e.g., tourists). However,some nonimmigrants are admitted for purposes associatedwith U.S. residence. Approximately 3.2 million
nonimmigrant workers, students, exchange visitors,
diplomats, and their relatives were residing in the UnitedStates in 2019, according to the most recent Department ofHomeland Security (DHS) estimate. Nonimmigrant workers
represented the largest category (1.4 million).

LPRs
DHS estimates that 12.9 million LPRs lived in the UnitedStates in 2022. Typically, approximately 1 million people
become LPRs each fiscal year. Like nonimmigrantadmissions, LPR admissions for permanent residence wererelatively low in FY2020 (707,362) and FY2021 (740,002)
likely due largely to the COVID-19 pandemic. Admissions
increased to 1,018,349 in FY2022; 46% were new arrivals
to the United States and 54% adjusted to LPR status from anonimmigrant status within the United States.
The largest number of LPRs are admitted through familysponsored categories, followed by employment-based

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Citizenship and Immigration Statuses of the U.S. Foreign-Born Population

categories, grants of refugee status and asylum, and thediversity visa (DV) program (Figure 2).
Figure 2. LPRs by Category of Admission, FY2022

Source: Department of Homeland Security, 2022 Yearbook ofImmigration Statistics, Table 6.

Statutory caps limit the annual number of individuals who
can be granted LPR status through the family-sponsoredsystem (480,000), employment-based system (140,000),and DV program (55,000). Family-sponsored categories
include numerically limited (226,000) preference
immigrants and numerically unlimited immediate
relatives of U.S. citizens. Therefore, the number of personswho acquire LPR status through the family-sponsoredsystem may, and regularly does, exceed its annual
permeable limit. LPRs from any single country cannot
exceed 7% of the total annual limit of numerically limited
family-sponsored and employment-based preference
immigrants.
DHS estimates that 9.2 million LPRs were eligible tonaturalize, or become U.S. citizens, in FY2022, based on
meeting U.S. residence and other requirements forapplication.

Naturalized Citizens
Approximately 24.5 million foreign-born individuals in theUnited States are naturalized U.S. citizens, representing
about half (53%) of the foreign-born population in 2022. In
FY2022, 969,380 individuals naturalized.
During the last century, the proportion of naturalized
citizens relative to the total foreign-born population peakedin 1950 (74.5%) and then declined, reaching its lowest
point (40.3%) in 2000, before increasing to its current level(Figure 3).
Figure 3. Naturalized Foreign-Born as a Proportion ofthe Total Foreign-Born, 1920-2022

Source: 1900-2000: Campbell Gibson and Kay Jung, “HistoricalCensus Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the UnitedStates: 1850 to 2000,” U.S. Census Bureau Population Division,February 2006. 2010 and 2022: ACS data, Table B05001.
Note: The 1960 Decennial Census did not ask respondents about
their citizenship status.

Unauthorized Population
The unauthorized population is challenging to measure.
There are no official counts of unauthorized immigrants
living in the United States. Census Bureau surveys like theACS measure whether an individual is foreign-born andwhether they are a U.S. citizen but most do not collectinformation on immigration status. However, federalagencies and nongovernmental researchers have longproduced estimates of the unauthorized population, drawing
on survey data and various methodologies.
Recent estimates range from 10.3 million to 11.4 million
unauthorized individuals living in the United States. Basedon these estimates, the unauthorized population represents
about 23% to 26% of all foreign-born individuals living in
the United States.
Some policies allow certain foreign nationals to remain in
the United States regardless of whether they have a lawful
immigration status, but they do not provide pathways toLPR status. Individuals covered by these programs aregenerally included in unauthorized population estimates.
They include individuals granted TPS (610,630 as of March2023), which is a blanket form of humanitarian relief; andDACA (578,680 as of March 2023), which is granted tocertain eligible persons brought to the United States aschildren.
Other individuals may be allowed to remain in the UnitedStates temporarily with immigration parole, also referred toas humanitarian parole, on a case-by-case basis, for urgent
humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. In recentyears, the Biden Administration has extended special parole
processes for particular populations who meet specificcriteria. There is no publicly available government sourceof the total number of individuals residing in the UnitedStates with parole grants.

Recent Migrant Arrivals in Removal
Proceedings
During the past two years, the United States has
experienced an unprecedented level of migration at theU.S.-Mexico border by individuals who, in many cases, areseeking asylum and do not otherwise have permission toenter the country. Individuals who are charged with animmigration violation by DHS may pursue their asylum
claims in the removal process and, if they are not subject tomandatory detention, may be released to reside temporarily
in the United States while they await their removal(deportation) proceedings in immigration court.
In FY2022, DHS’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection(CBP) released 780,000 migrants. In FY2023 (throughAugust), CBP released approximately 1 million migrants
who are awaiting removal proceedings (according to CBP
Custody and Transfer Statistics). Some of these individuals
are covered by certain legal protections such as
humanitarian parole or TPS; others may be released with noother status or protection.
Holly Straut-Eppsteiner, Analyst in Immigration Policy

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