Office of Immigration Statistics

POLICY DIRECTORATE

Nonimmigrant Admissions 

to the United States: 2012

RANDALL MONGER

Nonimmigrants are foreign nationals granted temporary admission into the United States. The 

major purposes for which nonimmigrant admission may be authorized include temporary 

visits for business or pleasure, academic or vocational study, temporary employment, or to act 

as a representative of a foreign government or international organization. The Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) collects information on the characteristics of certain nonimmigrant 

admissions from I-94 arrival records. This Office of Immigration Statistics Annual Flow Report 

presents information gathered from I-94s on the number and characteristics of nonimmigrant 

admissions to the United States in 2012.1

During 2012, there were 165 million nonimmigrant 

admissions to the United States according to DHS workload estimates.2

 These admissions included tourists and 

business travelers from Canada, Mexican nationals with 

Border Crossing Cards, and admissions of nonimmigrants 

who are issued Form I-94 (I-94 admissions3). I-94 

admissions accounted for 33 percent (53.9 million) of 

the total admissions (see Figure 1). The majority (89 percent) of I-94 admissions were temporary visitors for 

business and pleasure, while 5.7 percent were temporary 

workers and families and 3.1 percent were students. The 

leading countries of citizenship for I-94 admissions were 

Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

1 In this report, years refer to fiscal years (October 1 to September 30).

2 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 

Operations Management Reporting, Fiscal Year 2012.

3 For this report, I-94 admissions refer to admissions documented with paper Form 

I-94/I-94Ws and electronic I-94Ws.

DEFINING “NONIMMIGRANT”

Nonimmigrants are aliens whose classes of admission 

are specified in Section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration 

and Nationality Act (INA). Examples of nonimmigrant 

classes of admission include foreign government officials; temporary visitors for business and pleasure; aliens 

in transit; treaty traders and investors; academic and 

vocational students; temporary workers; exchange visitors; athletes and entertainers; victims of certain crimes; 

and family members of U.S. citizens, persons granted 

lawful permanent residence (legal permanent residents), 

and special immigrants. Maximum duration of stay is 

determined by class of admission. A person granted 

lawful permanent resident status4

 is authorized to live, 

work, and study in the U.S. permanently; conversely, a 

nonimmigrant is authorized a temporary status for a 

specific purpose. The nonimmigrant’s activities, such as 

employment, travel, and accompaniment by dependents, 

are prescribed by his or her class of admission. 

4 Commonly referred to as a legal permanent resident (LPR) or “green card recipient.”
2

THE NONIMMIGRANT ADMISSIONS PROCESS

Defining “Admissions” 

In this report, nonimmigrant admissions refer to number of events 

(i.e., entries into the U.S.) rather than individuals. More than one 

entry by the same individual on the same day is counted as one 

admission. Admission numbers presented in this report will differ 

from the number of Department of State visa issuances, which 

includes all visas that were issued regardless of whether, or how 

many times, the foreign national entered the United States. 

Eligibility

In order to qualify for admission in a nonimmigrant status, a foreign national generally must meet all of the following criteria: 

establish that the visit will be temporary, agree to depart at the end 

of the authorized stay, possess a valid passport maintain a foreign 

residence (in most cases), be able to provide proof of financial 

support, be admissible to the U.S. or have been granted a waiver 

for any grounds of inadmissibility, and abide by the terms and 

conditions of admission. 

Documentary Requirements

In 2012, applicants for nonimmigrant admission were required to 

complete a paper Form I-94/I-94W or Electronic System for Travel 

Authorization (ESTA)5

 registration to enter the United States. 

However, Mexican nationals with Border Crossing Cards (when 

traveling within the border zone for a limited duration) and tourists and business travelers from Canada were generally exempt 

from these requirements.6

The Border Crossing Card (BCC) or “laser visa” issued to Mexican 

nationals is a machine-readable card that is valid for 10 years and 

contains a biometric indicator, such as a fingerprint. Applicants for 

a BCC must meet the same qualifications as applicants for a B1/B2 

visa (temporary visitor for business or pleasure), have a valid 

Mexican passport, and demonstrate that they will return to Mexico 

upon completion of their stay. 

5 ESTA is an internet-based system that determines the preliminary eligibility of visitors to be admitted under the Visa Waiver Program prior to their embarking on trips to the United States. ESTA 

registration must be renewed every two years or when a visitor’s passport expires, whichever 

occurs earlier. An electronic I-94W record is created upon admission at air and sea ports for ESTAregistered VWP entrants.

6 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials (seeking N1-N5 nonimmigrant classification) 

were also not required to submit an I-94 but may do so to document their admissions.

I-94 Admissions

Visa Required. If a visa is necessary for entry, the foreign national typically must apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate. The Online 

Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160, or the Nonimmigrant 

Visa Application, Form DS-156, must be submitted for all applicants; 

further, an interview generally is required for all applicants aged 14 

to 79 years. Possession of a valid visa does not guarantee admission. 

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer determines if the 

nonimmigrant may enter the U.S. and the authorized duration of stay. 

During 2012, foreign nationals with nonimmigrant visas were 

required to complete the paper Form I-94. 

Visa Waiver Program. The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows nationals 

from designated countries to travel to the United States as tourists 

or business travelers without a visa for a period not to exceed 90 

days. It was established, initially as a pilot program, in 1986 with 

the intent to eliminate barriers to travel, to facilitate tourism, and 

to promote better relations with U.S. allies. Qualified nationals of 

VWP countries must be admissible to the United States and not 

previously violated the terms of any previous admission under the 

VWP; possess a valid unexpired machine-readable passport; travel 

on an approved carrier and possess a return trip ticket if arriving 

by air or sea; obtain travel authorization from ESTA); and waive 

their right to contest an immigration officer’s determination of 

admissibility and the right to contest removal, other than on the 

basis of an application for asylum. At air and sea ports, an electronic I-94W record is created upon admission for ESTA-registered 

VWP entrants; at land ports, the paper Form I-94W is required. 

Nationals of VWP countries must obtain a visa if they are traveling 

to the U.S. for a purpose other than tourism or business or if their 

stay will exceed 90 days. 

During 2012, 36 countries participated in the Visa Waiver Program: 

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, 

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, 

Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, 

Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, 

Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Slovakia, 

Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 

The Guam-Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands Visa 

Waiver Program (GCVWP) permits nationals of designated countries and geographic areas to be admitted to Guam or the 

Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) without a visa. Admissions under the GCVWP may not exceed 45 days 

in Guam and/or CNMI. In 2012, Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, 

Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South 

Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom were included 

in the GCVWP.7

7 On November 28, 2009, the GCVWP replaced the Guam Visa Waiver Program (GVWP) which 

permitted nationals of participating countries to be admitted to Guam without a visa. Australia, 

Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Singapore, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Vanuatu were included in the 

GVWP when it ended.

DATA

The data in this report were obtained from TECS, a computer system 

used by CBP, which compiles and maintains information collected 

from nonimmigrants on the paper Form I-94/I-94W and electronic 

I-94W. Information collected from these I-94 records includes 

arrival and departure dates, port of entry, class of admission, country of citizenship, state of destination, age, and sex. Caution should 

be exercised when interpreting trends in I-94 admissions, as yearto-year changes may not necessarily reflect changes in travel patterns or the demand for nonimmigrant entry into the U.S. For 

example, land admissions increased markedly in 2010 and 2011 

because of changes in the way in which admissions were counted.8

Further, land admissions in 2012 were substantially affected by 

major construction at San Ysidro, the highest volume land port of 

entry in the U.S.

8 2011 was the first full year in which nearly all land admissions were recorded. See Monger and 

Mathews, 2011 for a more detailed discussion of how counting changes affected admissions.
3

CHARACTERISTICS OF I-94 NONIMMIGRANT ADMISSIONS

Class of Admission

There were 53,887,286 I-94 nonimigrant admissions in 2012 (See 

Table 1). The largest category of admission in 2012 was temporary 

visitors for pleasure which represented 78 percent of admissions. 

This category includes the B2 (temporary visitors for pleasure) and 

WT (Visa Waiver Program—temporary visitors for pleasure) classes 

of admission which accounted for 45 and 30 percent, respectively, 

of all admissions. Approximately 11 percent of admissions in 2012 

were in the temporary visitors for business category of admission. 

B1 (temporary visitors for business) admissions represented 5.5 

percent of all admissions and WB (Visa Waiver Program—

temporary visitors for business) accounted for 5.1 percent. About 

5.7 percent of all admissions were by temporary workers and their 

families. The leading classes of admission in this category were TN 

NAFTA professional workers (1.4 percent), H1B workers in specialty occupations (0.9 percent), and L1 intracompany transferees 

(0.9 percent). Students accounted for 3.1 percent of admissions. F1 

academic students was the largest class of admission in this category representing 2.9 percent of all admissions.

Country of Citizenship

The leading countries of citizenship for nonimmigrant admissions 

to the United States in 2012 were Mexico (31 percent), the United 

Kingdom (8.3 percent), Japan (7.7 percent), Germany (4.3 percent), France (3.6 percent), Brazil (3.3 percent), China (3.3 percent), South Korea (2.8 percent), Canada (2.7 percent), and 

Australia (2.5 percent) (see Table 2). 

Table 1. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94 only) by Class of Admission: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012 — Continued

Class of admission

2012 2011 2010

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total .......................................................... 53,887,286 100.0 53,082,286 100.0 46,471,516 100.0

Temporary workers and families ......................................... 3,049,419 5.7 3,385,775 6.4 2,816,525 6.1

Temporary workers and trainees ...................................... 1,900,582 3.5 2,092,028 3.9 1,682,132 3.6

CNMI-only transitional worker (CW1) ................................. 10 – – – – –

Workers in specialty occupations (H1B) .............................. 473,015 0.9 494,565 0.9 454,763 1.0

Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreement (H1B1) ...................... D – 30 – 163 –

Registered nurses participating in the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged 

Areas Act (H1C) ............................................. 29 – 124 – 295 –

Agricultural workers (H2A) ........................................ 183,860 0.3 188,411 0.4 139,406 0.3

Nonagricultural workers and returning H2B workers (H2B, H2R) ............. 82,921 0.2 79,862 0.2 69,499 0.1

Trainees (H3) .................................................. 4,081 – 3,279 – 3,078 –

Workers with extraordinary ability or achievement and their assistants (O1, O2) ... 70,611 0.1 67,724 0.1 63,984 0.1

Internationally recognized athletes or entertainers (P1) ................... 84,209 0.2 84,545 0.2 72,917 0.2

Artists or entertainers in reciprocal exchange or culturally unique 

programs (P2, P3) ............................................ 22,116 – 22,660 – 20,882 –

Workers in international cultural exchange programs (Q1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,494 – 2,331 – 2,430 –

Workers in religious occupations (R1) ................................ 15,906 – 19,683 – 21,043 –

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) professional workers (TN) ...... 733,692 1.4 899,455 1.7 634,121 1.4

Spouses and children of temporary workers and trainees 

(CW2, H4, O3, P4, R2, TD) ...................................... 227,637 0.4 229,359 0.4 199,551 0.4

Intracompany transferees ........................................... 717,893 1.3 788,187 1.5 702,460 1.5

Intracompany transferees (L1) ..................................... 498,899 0.9 562,776 1.1 502,732 1.1

Spouses and children of intracompany transferees (L2) ................... 218,994 0.4 225,411 0.4 199,728 0.4

Treaty traders and investors and spouses and children (E1 to E3) ............ 386,472 0.7 454,101 0.9 383,700 0.8

Representatives of foreign media and their spouses and children (I1) ......... 44,472 0.1 51,459 0.1 48,233 0.1

Students .......................................................... 1,653,576 3.1 1,788,962 3.4 1,595,078 3.4

Academic students (F1) .......................................... 1,566,815 2.9 1,702,730 3.2 1,514,783 3.3

Vocational students (M1) ......................................... 17,600 – 18,824 – 17,641 –

Spouses and children of academic and vocational students (F2, M2) ......... 69,161 0.1 67,408 0.1 62,654 0.1

Exchange visitors .................................................... 475,232 0.9 526,931 1.0 543,335 1.2

Exchange visitors (J1) ........................................... 421,425 0.8 469,993 0.9 484,740 1.0

Spouses and children of exchange visitors (J2) ......................... 53,807 0.1 56,938 0.1 58,595 0.1

Diplomats and other representatives ...................................... 365,779 0.7 377,830 0.7 380,241 0.8

Ambassadors, public ministers, career diplomats, consular officers, other foreign 

government officials and their spouses, children, and attendants (A1 to A3) ... 207,349 0.4 215,186 0.4 214,111 0.5

Representatives to international organizations and their spouses, children, 

and attendants (G1 to G5) ...................................... 135,623 0.3 139,378 0.3 141,492 0.3

NATO officials and their families (N1 to N7) ............................ 22,807 – 23,266 – 24,638 0.1

Temporary visitors for pleasure .......................................... 42,025,488 78.0 40,578,964 76.4 35,131,310 75.6

Temporary visitors for pleasure (B2) ................................. 24,476,086 45.4 23,806,138 44.8 19,144,042 41.2

Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for pleasure (WT) ................ 16,364,370 30.4 15,706,067 29.6 14,821,569 31.9

Guam Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for pleasure to Guam (GT) ..... X – X – 120,544 0.3

Guam – CNMI Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for pleasure to 

Guam or Northern Mariana Islands (GMT) ........................... 1,185,032 2.2 1,066,759 2.0 1,045,155 2.2

See footnotes at end of table.
4

Table 1. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94 only) by Class of Admission: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012 — Continued

Class of admission

2012 2011 2010

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Temporary visitors for business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,705,106 10 .6 5,694,809 10 .7 5,205,980 11 .2

Temporary visitors for business (B1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,972,355 5 .5 3,055,932 5 .8 2,944,397 6 .3

Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for business (WB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,729,775 5 .1 2,635,472 5 .0 2,256,611 4 .9

Guam Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for business to Guam (GB) . . . . . X – X – 904 –

Guam – CNMI Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for business to 

Guam or Northern Mariana Islands (GMB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,976 – 3,405 – 4,068 –

Transit aliens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313,514 0 .6 322,499 0 .6 327,584 0 .7

Aliens in continuous and immediate transit through the United States (C1) . . . . . 289,105 0 .5 296,636 0 .6 304,023 0 .7

Aliens in transit to the United Nations (C2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,158 – 4,397 – 2,987 –

Foreign government officials, their spouses, children, and attendants in transit (C3) . . . 20,251 – 21,466 – 20,574 –

Commuter Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115,561 0 .2 108,894 0 .2 53,711 0 .1

Canadian or Mexican national academic commuter students (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . . 115,561 0 .2 108,892 0 .2 53,711 0 .1

Canadian or Mexican national vocational commuter students (M3) . . . . . . . . . . . – – D – – –

Alien fiancé(e)s of U .S . citizens and children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,102 0 .1 27,700 0 .1 34,893 0 .1

Fiancé(e)s of U .S . citizens (K1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,977 0 .1 24,112 – 30,445 0 .1

Children of K1 (K2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,125 – 3,588 – 4,448 –

Alien spouses of U .S . citizens and children, immigrant visa pending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,152 – 20,977 – 30,172 0 .1

Spouses of U .S . citizens, visa pending (K3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,534 – 17,874 – 25,615 0 .1

Children of U .S . citizens, visa pending (K4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 618 – 3,103 – 4,557 –

Alien spouses of U .S . permanent residents and children, immigrant visa pending . . . . . . 3,075 – 9,122 – 8,638 –

Spouses of permanent residents, visa pending (V1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,928 – 3,659 – 3,620 –

Children of permanent residents, visa pending (V2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 – 2,546 – 2,206 –

Dependents of V1 or V2, visa pending (V3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698 – 2,917 – 2,812 –

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 – 93 – 92 –

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143,191 0 .3 239,730 0 .5 343,957 0 .7

X Not applicable .

– Represents zero or rounds to 0 .0 .

D Data withheld to limit disclosure .

Source: U .S . Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012 .

Table 2. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94 only) by Country of Citizenship: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012

Country of citizenship

2012 2011 2010

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53,887,286 100 .0 53,082,286 100 .0 46,471,516 100 .0

Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,462,118 30 .5 17,052,559 32 .1 12,917,788 27 .8

United Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,486,666 8 .3 4,547,728 8 .6 4,539,433 9 .8

Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,141,299 7 .7 3,777,643 7 .1 3,831,174 8 .2

Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,308,207 4 .3 2,182,441 4 .1 2,076,216 4 .5

France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,913,551 3 .6 1,845,227 3 .5 1,696,770 3 .7

Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,792,425 3 .3 1,539,015 2 .9 1,233,457 2 .7

China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,756,747 3 .3 1,364,078 2 .6 1,038,279 2 .2

Korea, South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,527,085 2 .8 1,460,972 2 .8 1,332,387 2 .9

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,466,120 2 .7 1,868,179 3 .5 1,428,940 3 .1

Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,331,669 2 .5 1,246,091 2 .3 1,037,683 2 .2

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,406,792 30 .4 15,698,851 29 .6 14,773,452 31 .8

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294,607 0 .5 499,502 0 .9 565,937 1 .2

Source: U .S . Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012 .
5

Port of Entry

The largest 20 ports of entry represented 69 percent of nonimmigrant admissions in 2012 (see Table 3). About half of all nonimmigrants were admitted through the following ports of entry: 

New York (11 percent), Miami (9.5 percent), Los Angeles (7.2 

percent), Newark (3.9 percent), San Ysidro (3.9 percent), 

Honolulu (3.5 percent), San Francisco (3.5 percent), Chicago (3 

percent), Houston (2.6 percent), and Atlanta (2.6 percent). 

Admissions at San Ysidro, CA decreased 25 percent from 2011 to 

2012. Notable increases in admissions occurred at Honolulu, HI 

(20 percent increase), Dallas, TX (15 percent increase), Agana, GU 

(11 percent increase), and Miami, FL (8.5 percent increase). 

Table 3. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94 only) by Port of Entry: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012

Port of entry

2012 2011 2010

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total .......................................................... 53,887,286 100.0 53,082,286 100.0 46,471,516 100.0

New York, NY ....................................................... 5,744,877 10.7 5,344,781 10.1 5,119,971 11.0

Miami, FL .......................................................... 5,115,113 9.5 4,712,293 8.9 4,277,515 9.2

Los Angeles, CA ..................................................... 3,905,034 7.2 3,734,815 7.0 3,420,098 7.4

Newark, NJ ........................................................ 2,088,591 3.9 2,181,506 4.1 2,260,006 4.9

San Ysidro, CA ...................................................... 2,082,911 3.9 2,781,270 5.2 1,862,181 4.0

Honolulu, HI ........................................................ 1,892,134 3.5 1,581,719 3.0 1,456,867 3.1

San Francisco, CA ................................................... 1,859,836 3.5 1,777,202 3.3 1,634,512 3.5

Chicago, IL ......................................................... 1,606,615 3.0 1,596,960 3.0 1,567,273 3.4

Houston, TX ........................................................ 1,382,759 2.6 1,425,534 2.7 1,291,591 2.8

Atlanta, GA ........................................................ 1,379,717 2.6 1,397,240 2.6 1,341,807 2.9

Otay Mesa, CA ...................................................... 1,303,897 2.4 1,215,475 2.3 1,000,424 2.2

Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, TX ............................................... 1,302,120 2.4 1,273,830 2.4 905,928 1.9

Agana, GUAM ....................................................... 1,202,976 2.2 1,083,381 2.0 1,152,925 2.5

Washington, DC ..................................................... 1,165,318 2.2 1,127,737 2.1 1,124,523 2.4

Orlando, FL ........................................................ 1,048,272 1.9 924,684 1.7 928,145 2.0

Nogales, AZ ........................................................ 1,012,572 1.9 1,056,990 2.0 847,218 1.8

Dallas, TX ......................................................... 914,619 1.7 795,472 1.5 684,861 1.5

Hidalgo, TX ........................................................ 797,264 1.5 642,152 1.2 445,073 1.0

Bridge of the Americas, TX ............................................. 756,757 1.4 880,325 1.7 741,650 1.6

Calexico East Port, CA ................................................ 686,299 1.3 669,879 1.3 432,826 0.9

Other ............................................................. 16,463,045 30.6 16,691,741 31.4 13,914,741 29.9

Unknown .......................................................... 176,560 0.3 187,300 0.4 61,381 0.1

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012.

State of Destination

The most frequent states of destination for I-94 nonimmigrant 

admissions in 2012 were California (19 percent), Florida (13 percent), Texas (13 percent), and New York (12 percent) (see Table 4). 

These four states represented the destinations of 57 percent of foreign nationals admitted.

Table 4. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94 only) by State of Destination: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012

State of destination

2012 2011 2010

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total .......................................................... 53,887,286 100.0 53,082,286 100.0 46,471,516 100.0

California .......................................................... 10,208,709 18.9 10,306,971 19.4 8,251,404 17.8

Florida ............................................................ 7,234,508 13.4 6,690,019 12.6 6,064,266 13.0

Texas ............................................................ 6,854,454 12.7 6,559,787 12.4 4,739,265 10.2

New York .......................................................... 6,409,286 11.9 6,226,198 11.7 5,722,492 12.3

Hawaii ............................................................ 1,969,089 3.7 1,666,432 3.1 1,568,684 3.4

Nevada ........................................................... 1,793,376 3.3 1,729,040 3.3 1,481,485 3.2

Arizona ........................................................... 1,749,492 3.2 1,800,715 3.4 1,494,581 3.2

Washington ........................................................ 1,262,020 2.3 1,158,160 2.2 895,444 1.9

Michigan .......................................................... 1,158,744 2.2 1,338,947 2.5 999,172 2.2

Illinois ............................................................ 1,021,476 1.9 979,740 1.8 873,547 1.9

Other ............................................................. 9,952,348 18.5 9,787,909 18.4 9,082,064 19.5

Unknown .......................................................... 4,273,784 7.9 4,838,368 9.1 5,299,112 11.4

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012.

Age and Sex

In 2012, 61 percent of I-94 admissions were accounted for by 

individuals aged 25 to 54, and 52 percent of nonimmigrant 

admissions were male (see Table 5). Age and sex distributions 

remained relatively unchanged between 2010 and 2012.
6

Table 5. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94 only) by Age and Sex: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2012

Characteristic

2012 2011 2010

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

AGE

Total .......... 53,887,286 100.0 53,082,286 100.0 46,471,516 100.0

Under 18 years ..... 6,067,171 11.3 5,771,094 10.9 4,898,300 10.5

18 to 24 years ...... 4,978,091 9.2 4,910,932 9.3 4,413,891 9.5

25 to 34 years ...... 11,433,982 21.2 11,402,173 21.5 10,192,941 21.9

35 to 44 years ...... 11,685,053 21.7 11,844,788 22.3 10,231,864 22.0

45 to 54 years ...... 9,566,343 17.8 9,422,045 17.7 8,100,205 17.4

55 to 64 years ...... 6,181,493 11.5 6,003,548 11.3 5,306,174 11.4

65 years and over ... 3,873,243 7.2 3,623,230 6.8 3,225,188 6.9

Unknown .......... 101,910 0.2 104,476 0.2 102,953 0.2

SEX

Total .......... 53,887,286 100.0 53,082,286 100.0 46,471,516 100.0

Male ............. 27,825,034 51.6 27,385,129 51.6 23,828,461 51.3

Female ........... 25,605,018 47.5 24,867,990 46.8 21,537,205 46.3

Unknown .......... 457,234 0.8 829,167 1.6 1,105,850 2.4

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2010 

to 2012.

REFERENCES

Monger, Randall and Mathews, Megan, 2011. 

“Nonimmigrant Admissions to the United States: 

2010,” Office of Immigration Statistics, Policy 

Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security, http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/

statistics/publications/ni_fr_2010.pdf
7

Appendix A. 

Nonimmigrant Classes of Admission — Continued

Class Description

Temporary Workers and Families

Temporary workers and trainees

CW1 ........ CNMI-only transitional workers

CW2 ........ Spouses and children of CW1

H1B ........ Workers in specialty occupations

H1B1 ....... Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreement aliens

H1C ........ Registered nurses participating in the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas

H2A ........ Agricultural workers

H2B ........ Nonagricultural workers

H2R ........ Returning H2B workers

H3 ......... Trainees

H4 ......... Spouses and children of H1, H2, or H3

O1 ......... Workers with extraordinary ability or achievement

O2 ......... Workers accompanying and assisting in performance of O1 workers

O3 ......... Spouses and children of O1 and O2

P1 .......... Internationally recognized athletes or entertainers

P2 .......... Artists or entertainers in reciprocal exchange programs

P3 .......... Artists or entertainers in culturally unique programs

P4 .......... Spouses and children of P1, P2, or P3

Q1 ......... Workers in international cultural exchange programs

R1 ......... Workers in religious occupations

R2 ......... Spouses and children of R1

TN .......... North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) professional workers

TD .......... Spouses and children of TN

Intracompany transferees

L1.......... Intracompany transferees

L2.......... Spouses and children of L1

Treaty traders and investors

E1 .......... Treaty traders and their spouses and children

E2 .......... Treaty investors and their spouses and children

E2C ......... Treaty traders and their spouses and children CNMI-only

E3 .......... Australian Free Trade Agreement principals, spouses and children

Representatives of foreign information media

I1 .......... Representatives of foreign information media and spouses and children

Students

F1.......... Academic students

F2.......... Spouses and children of F1

M1 ......... Vocational students

M2 ......... Spouses and children of M1

Exchange visitors

J1 .......... Exchange visitors

J2 .......... Spouses and children of J1

Diplomats and other representatives

A1 .......... Ambassadors, public ministers, career diplomatic or consular officers and their families

A2 .......... Other foreign government officials or employees and their families

A3 .......... Attendants, servants, or personal employees of A1 and A2 and their families

G1 ......... Principals of recognized foreign governments 

G2 ......... Other representatives of recognized foreign governments 

G3 ......... Representatives of nonrecognized or nonmember foreign governments

G4 ......... International organization officers or employees

G5 ......... Attendants, servants, or personal employees of representatives

N1 to N7 ..... North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials, spouses, and children

Temporary visitors for pleasure

B2 ......... Temporary visitors for pleasure

WT ......... Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for pleasure

GT. . . . . . . . . . Guam Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for pleasure to Guam

GMT ........ Guam-CNMI – temporary visitors for pleasure to Guam or Northern Mariana Islands
8

Appendix A. 

Nonimmigrant Classes of Admission — Continued

Class Description

Temporary visitors for business

B1 ......... Temporary visitors for business

WB ......... Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for business

GB ......... Guam Visa Waiver Program – temporary visitors for business to Guam 

GMB ........ Guam-CNMI – temporary visitors for business to Guam or Northern Mariana Islands

Transit aliens

C1 ......... Aliens in continuous and immediate transit through the United States

C2 ......... Aliens in transit to the United Nations 

C3 ......... Foreign government officials, their spouses, children, and attendants in transit

Commuter Students

F3.......... Canadian or Mexican national academic commuter students

M3 ......... Canadian or Mexican national vocational commuter students

Alien Fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens

K1 ......... Fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens

K2 ......... Children of K1

Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act

K3 ......... Spouses of U.S. citizens, immigrant visa pending

K4 ......... Children of K3, immigrant visa pending

V1 to V3 ..... Spouses and children of permanent residents, immigrant visa pending

Other

N8 ......... Parents of international organization special immigrants

N9 ......... Children of N8 or international organization special immigrants

Q2 ......... Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program aliens 

Q3 ......... Spouses and children of Q2

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.