Office of Immigration Statistics

OFFICE OF STRATEGY, POLICY & PLANS

JANUARY 2018

Nonimmigrant Admissions 

to the United States: 2016

JOHN TEKE AND WALEED NAVARRO

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

major purposes for which nonimmigrant admission are authorized include temporary visits 

for business or pleasure, academic or vocational study, temporary employment, and to act as a 

representative of a foreign government or international organization, among others. The U.S. 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) collects information regarding certain nonimmigrant 

admissions from DHS Form I-94 arrival records. This DHS Office of Immigration Statistics’ (OIS) 

Annual Flow Report presents information gathered from I-94s on the number and characteristics of 

nonimmigrant admissions to the United States in 2016.

Annual Flow Report

 

During 2016,1 DHS granted a total of more than 179 

million nonimmigrant admissions (down 1.1 percent 

from 2015) to the United States, according to DHS 

workload estimates (Figure 1).2 These admissions 

included about 102 million mainly business travelers 

and tourists from Canada and Mexico, who were 

exempted from filling out I-94/I-94W forms (down 

2.1 percent from 2015), as discussed below, and about 

77 million nonimmigrants who were issued Form 

I-94/I-94W (up 0.2 percent from 2015)—the primary 

focus of this report.3 About 90 percent of I-94 admissions were temporary visitors for business and pleasure 

(almost no change from 2015), 5.1 percent were temporary workers and their families (up 4.7 percent from 

2015), and 2.5 percent were students and their families 

(down 1.8 percent from 2015). The leading countries 

of citizenship for I-94 admissions were Mexico (26 percent, down 3.6 percent from 2015), Canada (17 percent, down 3.0 percent from 2015), the United 

Kingdom (6.8 percent, up 5.0 percent from 2015), 

Japan (5.2 percent, down 0.9 percent from 2015), and 

China (4.3 percent, up 5.0 percent from 2015).

DEFINING “NONIMMIGRANT”

Nonimmigrants are foreign nationals admitted temporarily to the United States within classes of admission 

1 In this report, years refer to U.S. fiscal years, which run from October 

through September. Fiscal year 2016 began October 1, 2015, and ended 

September 30, 2016.

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

(CBP), Operations Management Reporting, Fiscal Year 2016.

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

electronic Form I-94/I-94Ws.

defined in section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and 

Nationality Act (INA).4 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, 

4 A few nonimmigrant classes are authorized in sections other than INA § 101(a)

(15), including North Americas Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) nonimmigrants and 

nationals of the Freely Associated States admitted under the Compacts of Free 

Association between the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 

the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.
2

and certain family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent 

residents (LPRs). Unlike people granted LPR status, or “green 

card” status, nonimmigrants are authorized to enter the country 

for specific purposes and limited periods of time. Nonimmigrants’ 

duration of stay and the scope of their lawful activities, such as 

employment, travel, and accompaniment by dependents, are prescribed by their class of admission.

THE NONIMMIGRANT ADMISSIONS PROCESS

Eligibility

To qualify for admission in a nonimmigrant status, a foreign 

national generally must 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 admissible to the United States or have been granted a waiver for any 

grounds of inadmissibility, and agree to abide by the terms and 

conditions of admission.

In general, nonimmigrants must acquire a visa or other form of 

authorization abroad prior to traveling to the United States, with 

the specific requirements determined by a foreign national’s country of citizenship and the conditions of their visit, as discussed 

below. Yet, possession of a valid travel document does not guarantee admission. Rather, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

officers at ports of entry (POEs) make the final determination 

whether a nonimmigrant may enter the United States and the 

authorized duration of stay.

Documentary Requirements

Visa Required. Most classes of nonimmigrants are required to obtain a 

visa to enter the United States. In these cases, foreign nationals must 

fill out an online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-160, or 

a Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form DS-156. In addition, applicants aged 14 to 79 years are generally required to visit a U.S. 

embassy or consulate and be interviewed by a consular official. 

U.S. Visa Waiver Program. The VWP, administered by the DHS in consultation with DOS, permits nationals of designated countries5

 to 

travel to the United States as tourists or business travelers without 

5 In 2016, 38 countries participated in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP); a full list of these countries is available at https://www.dhs.gov/visa-waiver-program-requirements.

a visa for periods not to exceed 90 days. Qualified nationals of 

VWP countries must be admissible to the United States and not 

have violated the terms of any previous admission under the VWP; 

possess a valid machine-readable passport; travel on an approved 

carrier and possess a round trip ticket if arriving by air or sea; 

obtain travel authorization through the Electronic System for Travel 

Authorization (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. Nationals of VWP countries must obtain a visa if they are 

traveling to the United States for a purpose other than tourism or 

business or if their stay will exceed 90 days.6

Mexican Tourist and Business Admissions. Mexican nationals who meet 

the requirements for a B-1/B-2 visa (temporary visitor for business or pleasure), who have a valid Mexican passport, and who 

demonstrate that they will return to Mexico upon completion of 

their stay may be eligible for a Border Crossing Card (BCC) or 

“laser visa.” The BCC is a machine-readable card that is valid for 

10 years and contains fingerprint and other biometric data. BCCs 

are only issued to applicants who are citizens of and resident in 

Mexico. Applicants must meet the eligibility standards for B-1/B-2 

visas, and they must demonstrate that they have ties to Mexico that 

would compel them to return after a temporary stay in the United 

States. Those who reside in the interior areas of Mexico may be 

issued visas affixed to their passports.7

Most Mexican tourists and business visitors enter the United States 

through southwest border land POEs. Land ports offer bordercrossing options such as general pedestrian traffic, pedestrian 

ready lanes, and vehicular ready lanes.8 Mexican travelers going 

through the general pedestrian traffic border-crossing option for 

immigration inspection are expected to present a BCC or a passport and valid visa, or a Form I–872 American Indian Card. 

However, a Mexican traveler (tourist or business visitor) with a 

6 See https://www.dhs.gov/visa-waiver-program for additional details on the VWP.

7 Go to https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/border-crossing-card.html

for additional information on Border Crossing Card (BCC).

8 A Ready Lane is a dedicated primary reserved lane for travelers entering the United States at land 

border ports of entry (POEs). Visit https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1211/~/readylane-document-requirements and https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/cbp-installkiosks-create-ready-lane-faster-pedestrian-crossings-busy for more information.

Box 1. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions, Estimated Nonimmigrant Individuals, and Nonimmigrant Visas

This nonimmigrant admissions flow report covers admission events, not the number of individuals who entered the United States in 

2016 or the number of visas issued. Many nonimmigrants are admitted to the United States more than once in a year, and each entry 

is recorded separately and issued a new I-94 document at arrival. As a result, the count of admission events exceeds the number of 

individuals arriving. In 2016, an estimated 43 million individuals were admitted to the United States as I-94 nonimmigrants, 

accounting for a total of 77 million I-94 nonimmigrant admissions. An estimated 43 million individuals were admitted once, and 12 

million were admitted more than once. For more information, see OIS Fact Sheet, Nonimmigrant Admissions and Estimated Nonimmigrant 

Individuals: 2016. Admission numbers presented in this report differ from the number of nonimmigrant visas issued by the U.S. 

Department of State (DOS) for the following reasons: (1) a citizen from a country participating in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program 

(VWP) may travel to the United States without a visa; (2) a visa recipient may be admitted to the United States more than once on 

each visa as it is the case with most nonimmigrants; and, (3) a visa recipient may decide not to travel or decide to travel the following fiscal year (subject to the validity of the visa). Therefore, admission numbers exceed DOS nonimmigrant visa issuance numbers.
3

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant card9 or 

with a radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled card 

approved by DHS may use a ready lane (pedestrian or vehicular) 

to expedite the inspection process while crossing the border. These 

documents include the Enhanced Form I–872 American Indian 

Tribal Card (ETC); Trusted Traveler Cards (SENTRI, NEXUS and 

FAST cards);10 and the Enhanced BCC. Mexican temporary tourist 

or business visitors departing from or entering the United States 

from within the Western Hemisphere at air ports of entry are generally required to present a valid passport with a valid visa issued 

by a U.S. Consular Official. Children are also required to present 

their own passport with a valid visa when traveling by air.

Canadian Tourist and Business Admissions. Canadian short-term business and tourist visitors to the United States are required to possess a valid Canadian passport or other WHTI-approved form of 

identification, but they generally are not required to obtain a visa 

or apply for travel authorization through ESTA. 

THE I-94 FORM

CBP collects information from most classes of nonimmigrants 

arriving in the United States on paper and electronic Forms I-94/

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

arrival and departure dates, POE, class of admission, country of 

citizenship, state of destination, age, and gender. Detailed nonimmigrant data in this report were obtained from CBP’s TECS database, which maintains I-94 information.

The I-94 data do not describe all nonimmigrant admissions 

because certain visitors are not required to fill out I-94 forms. In 

general, Canadians traveling to the United States on B-1 tourist or 

B-2 business visas are not required to complete the I-94 Form; 

Canadian nonimmigrants in all other visa classes are required to 

do so. In addition, Mexican tourists and business visitors in possession of a BCC, a passport and valid visa, or a Form I–872 

American Indian Card may travel within the border zone (up to 

25 or 75 miles from the border, depending on the entry location) 

for certain periods of time without having to obtain an I–94.11

These exceptions are significant because Canadian and Mexican 

tourists and business visitors make up the vast majority of all nonimmigrant admissions.12

Readers should exercise caution when interpreting trends in I-94 

admissions because I-94 policies have undergone important 

changes in recent years. First, between 2005 and March 2010, 

DHS completed updates to computer systems at vehicular lanes 

9 Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-approved travel documents include an Enhanced 

Driver’s License, Enhanced Identifica-tion Card, or Trusted Traveler Program card such as a 

NEXUS membership card.

10 For more information on these Trusted Traveler Cards, visit https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trustedtraveler-programs.

11 Mexicans with BCCs may remain in the border zone for up to 30 days without obtaining an I-94; 

Mexicans entering with a passport and visa or an I–872 American Indian Card may remain in the 

border zone for up to 72 hours without obtaining an I–94. Mexicans traveling beyond the border 

zone, those who will remain beyond the time periods indicated above, and those who seek entry 

for pur-poses other than as a temporary visitor for business or pleasure are required to obtain 

and complete an I–94.

12 In addition to the Mexican and Canadian exemptions from I-94 requirements, North Atlantic 

Treaty Organization (NATO) officials (seeking N1-N5 nonimmigrant classification) also are not 

required to submit an I-94 but may do so to document their admissions. Members of the foreign 

military generally are not issued an I-94 when entering the United States under military orders.

and pedestrian crossings along the Northern and Southwest borders to record land admissions that were previously excluded from 

I-94 data systems. Consequently, the numbers of I-94 nonimmigrant admissions in 2010 and 2011 greatly exceeded totals 

reported in previous years. Second, beginning in April 2013, CBP 

automated the I-94 process for nonimmigrants admitted at air and 

sea ports. As part of this automation, CBP began generating electronic I-94s for short-term Canadian tourists and business travelers admitted at air and sea ports who have previously been 

exempted from the form—a change resulting in additional 

increases in the I-94 data. (Canadian tourists and business travelers 

entering at land POEs are still excluded from the I-94 data). Most 

recently, CBP implemented a new electronic ESTA system in 200913

and I-94 data collection system in 2013 through the Automated 

Passport Control (APC) and Global Entry (GE) trusted traveler programs. These updates have resulted in less complete recording of 

certain data elements including country of residence, gender, and 

state of destination, but also in more complete recording of 

country of citizenship.

TRENDS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF I-94 

NONIMMIGRANT ADMISSIONS

Class of Admission

CBP granted 76,786,751 I-94 nonimmigrant admissions in 2016, 

an increase of nearly 0.2 percent from 2015 (Table 1 and Figure 

2).14 The largest category of admission in 2016 was temporary 

visitors for pleasure, which represented 79 percent of I-94 admissions, down 0.3 percent from 2015. This category includes B-2 

temporary visitors for pleasure, WT VWP temporary visitors for 

pleasure, and GMT temporary visitors for pleasure to Guam or 

Northern Mariana Islands.

Approximately 11 percent of I-94 admissions in 2016 were in the 

temporary visitors for business category of admission, an increase 

of 3.6 percent from 2015. This category includes B-1 temporary 

visitors for business and WB VWP temporary visitors for business. 

About 5.1 percent of admissions consisted of temporary workers 

and their families, up 4.7 percent from 2015. The leading classes 

of admission in this category were TN North American Free Trade 

Agreement (NAFTA) professional workers, L-1 intracompany 

transferees, and H-1B temporary workers in specialty occupations. 

F-1 and F-3 academic students represented 2.5 percent of I-94 

admissions, down 3.8 percent from 2015.

Country of Citizenship

The leading countries of citizenship for I-94 nonimmigrant 

admissions to the United States in 2016 were Mexico (20 million 

admissions, 26 percent of the total, down 3.6 percent from 2015), 

Canada (13 million admissions, 17 percent, down 3.0 percent 

from 2015), the United Kingdom (5.2 million admissions, 6.8 

13 Find the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) Implementation Timeline at https://

www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/frequently-asked-questions-about-visa-waiver-programvwp-and-electronic-system-travel.

14 For additional data on admissions, please see the 2016 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics at 

https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2016. A full list of the classes of 

admission is also available at https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/nonimmigrant/

NonimmigrantCOA.
4

Table 1. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94 only) by Class of Admission: Fiscal Years 2014 to 2016 

Class of admission

2016 2015 2014

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total .......................................................... 76,786,751 100.0 76,638,236 100.0 74,930,606 100.0

Temporary workers and families ......................................... 3,896,674 5.1 3,722,543 4.9 3,398,961 4.5

Temporary workers and trainees ...................................... 2,420,840 3.2 2,306,962 3.0 2,095,175 2.8

CNMI-only transitional workers (CW1) ................................ 7,609 - 5,096 - 4,045 -

Workers in specialty occupations (H1B) .............................. 534,365 0.7 537,450 0.7 511,773 0.7

Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreement aliens (H1B1) .................. 268 - 93 - 29 -

Registered nurses participating in the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas 

(H1C) ..................................................... 7 - - - 1 -

Agricultural workers (H2A) ........................................ 348,052 0.5 283,580 0.4 240,620 0.3

Nonagricultural workers and returning H2B workers (H2B, H2R) ............. 119,457 0.2 120,219 0.2 105,416 0.1

Trainees (H3) ................................................. 2,786 - 3,514 - 4,306 -

Workers with extraordinary ability or achievement and their assistants (O1, O2) .. 130,589 0.2 119,679 0.2 107,191 0.1

Internationally recognized athletes or entertainers (P1) ................... 98,998 0.1 99,351 0.1 95,470 0.1

Artists or entertainers in reciprocal exchange or culturally unique programs (P2, P3) 26,408 - 26,021 - 24,999 -

Workers in international cultural exchange programs (Q1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,038 - 2,988 - 2,976 -

Workers in religious occupations (R1) ................................ 14,095 - 14,109 - 13,839 -

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) professional workers (TN) ...... 816,149 1.1 787,180 1.0 712,737 1.0

Spouses and children of temporary workers and trainees (CW2, H4, O3, P4, R2, TD) 319,019 0.4 307,682 0.4 271,773 0.4

Intracompany transferees ........................................... 954,394 1.2 917,613 1.2 835,707 1.1

Intracompany transferees (L1) ..................................... 677,583 0.9 648,611 0.8 591,728 0.8

Spouses and children of intracompany transferees (L2) ................... 276,811 0.4 269,002 0.4 243,979 0.3

Treaty traders and investors and spouses and children (E1 to E3) .............. 473,211 0.6 449,732 0.6 422,025 0.6

Representatives of foreign media and spouses and children (I1) ............... 48,229 0.1 48,236 0.1 46,054 0.1

Students and families. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,954,373 2.5 1,990,661 2.6 1,837,664 2.5

Academic students (F1) .......................................... 1,858,644 2.4 1,886,948 2.5 1,737,927 2.3

Vocational students (M1) ......................................... 18,726 - 19,878 - 20,534 -

Spouses and children of academic and vocational students (F2, M2) ......... 77,003 0.1 83,835 0.1 79,203 0.1

Exchange visitors .................................................... 574,617 0.7 576,347 0.8 557,760 0.7

Exchange visitors (J1) ........................................... 505,448 0.7 502,372 0.7 486,827 0.6

Spouses and children of exchange visitors (J2) ......................... 69,169 0.1 73,975 0.1 70,933 0.1

Diplomats and other representatives ...................................... 438,725 0.6 438,477 0.6 421,144 0.6

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

government officals and their spouses, children, and attendants (A1 to A3) ... 223,146 0.3 224,963 0.3 220,837 0.3

Representatives to international organizations and their spouses, children, and 

attendants (G1 to G5) ......................................... 163,208 0.2 161,354 0.2 152,903 0.2

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials, spouses, and children (N1 to N7) 52,371 0.1 52,160 0.1 47,404 0.1

Temporary visitors for pleasure .......................................... 60,834,687 79.2 61,017,237 79.6 59,784,922 79.8

Temporary visitors for pleasure (B2) ................................. 40,848,579 53.2 41,671,997 54.4 40,457,847 54.0

Visa Waiver Program - temporary visitors for pleasure (WT) ................. 18,703,963 24.4 18,138,442 23.7 18,161,646 24.2

Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program - temporary visitors for pleasure to Guam or 

Northern Mariana Islands (GMT) .................................. 1,282,145 1.7 1,206,798 1.6 1,165,429 1.6

Temporary visitors for business .......................................... 8,293,746 10.8 8,008,659 10.4 7,734,191 10.3

Temporary visitors for business (B1) ................................. 5,147,037 6.7 4,933,958 6.4 4,755,509 6.3

Visa Waiver Program - temporary visitors for business (WB) ................ 3,142,597 4.1 3,070,226 4.0 2,976,445 4.0

Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program - temporary visitors for business to Guam or 

Northern Mariana Islands (GMB) ................................. 4,112 - 4,475 - 2,237 -

Transit aliens ....................................................... 633,549 0.8 689,990 0.9 1,004,916 1.3

Aliens in continuous and immediate transit through the United States (C1) ..... 617,467 0.8 672,420 0.9 987,546 1.3

Aliens in transit to the United Nations (C2) ............................ 480 - 524 - 638 -

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

(C3) ...................................................... 15,602 - 17,046 - 16,732 -

Commuter Students .................................................. 67,522 0.1 100,495 0.1 109,833 0.1

Canadian or Mexican national academic commuter students (F3) ............ 67,522 0.1 100,495 0.1 109,833 0.1

Alien fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens and children ................................ 42,634 0.1 35,266 - 41,778 0.1

Fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens (K1) .................................... 37,173 - 30,942 - 36,680 -

Children of K1 (K2) ............................................. 5,461 - 4,324 - 5,098 -

Alien spouses of U.S. citizens and children, immigrant visa pending ................ 532 - 743 - 1,340 -

Spouses of U.S. citizens, visa pending (K3) ............................ 439 - 644 - 1,004 -

Children of U.S. citizens, visa pending (K4) ............................ 93 - 99 - 336 -

Alien spouses of U.S. permanent residents and children, immigrant visa pending ...... 676 - 884 - 935 -

Spouses of permanent residents, visa pending (V1) ...................... 237 - 563 - 647 -

Children of permanent residents, visa pending (V2) ...................... 425 - 307 - 252 -

Dependents of V1 or V2, visa pending (V3) ............................ 14 - 14 - 36 -

Other ............................................................. 88 - 74 - 72 -

Unknown .......................................................... 48,928 0.1 56,860 0.1 37,090 -

-- Represents zero or rounds to 0.0.

D Data withheld to limit disclosure.

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
5

percent, up 5.0 percent from 2015), Japan (4.0 admissions, 5.2 

percent, down 0.9 percent from 2015), China (3.3 million admissions, 4.3 percent, up 11 percent from 2015), and Germany (2.4 

million admissions, 3.1 percent, down 0.6 percent from 2015) 

(Figure 3). Overall, Mexicans and Canadians accounted for 43 

percent of I-94 admissions in 2016, and VWP travelers accounted 

for 30 percent.

Port of Entry

The largest 20 POEs accounted for 65 percent of 

I-94 nonimmigrant admissions in 2016 (Figure 

4). About 32 percent of all nonimmigrants were 

admitted through the top five POEs: New York 

(7.0 million admissions, 9.2 percent of the total, 

an increase of 0.7 percent from 2015), Miami 

(5.9 million admissions, 7.7 percent, a decrease 

of 3.7 percent from 2015), Los Angeles (4.9 million admissions, 6.4 percent, an increase of 1.8 

percent from 2015), Toronto15 (4.0 million 

admissions, 5.2 percent, an increase of 6.6 percent from 2015), and San Francisco (2.4 million 

admissions, 3.1 percent, an increase of 5.3 percent from 2015). Of the top 10 POEs, Toronto 

reported the highest increase (up 6.6 percent 

from 2015) in the number of nonimmigrant 

admissions in 2016, while San Ysidro reported the 

largest decrease (down 21 percent from 2015).

15 Nonimmigrants are admitted to the United States through Toronto 

through the CBP preclearance program, through which CBP of-ficers 

conduct the same immigration, customs, and agriculture inspections of 

international air passengers that are normally performed on arrival in 

the United States before passenger departures. Currently, preclearance 

operations take place at 15 foreign airports in six different countries, 

including Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.

 

 
6

Reported State of Destination

The most frequent states of destination16 for I-94 nonimmigrant 

admissions in 2016 were California (13 million admissions, 16 percent of the total, up 18 percent from 2015), Florida (12 million 

admissions, 16 percent, up 20 percent from 2015), New York (9.4 

million admissions, 12 percent, up 20 percent from 2015), Texas 

(6.0 admissions, 7.9 percent, up 19 percent from 2015), and 

Hawaii (3.2 million admissions, 4.1 percent, up 16 percent from 

2015) (Figure 5). These five states were the announced destinations 

of 57 percent of I-94 nonimmigrant admissions in 2016, up 19 

percent from 2015. The state with the largest proportional increase 

in the number of nonimmigrant admissions was Massachusetts (1.5 

16 The reported “state of destination” by arriving nonimmigrants may not be their final destination for 

various reasons. Data in this sec-tion should be interpreted with caution due to its unreliability.

 

million, up 22 percent from 2015), and the state with the smallest 

proportional increase in nonimmigrant admissions was Arizona 

(1.9 million, up 11 percent from 2015).

Age and Gender

In 2016, 59 percent of I-94 admissions were individuals between 

the ages 25 to 54, unchanged from 2015 (Table 2 and Figure 6). 

The number of nonimmigrant admissions within the age-group 55 

to 64 years increased 2.5 percent in 2016 (the largest increase of 

any age group), while the age-group under 18 years old registered 

the largest decrease at 2.1 percent. Of all I-94 admissions, 43 percent were males, and 40 percent were females, while the remainder 

are unknown.17

17 In recent years, “gender” has not been a required field for I-94 records.
7

 

Table 2. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94 only) by Age Category and Gender: Fiscal Year 2016

Characteristic

Female Male Unknown Total

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

AGE

Total ...................... 30,676,572 100.0 33,238,469 100.0 12,871,710 100.0 76,786,751 100.0

Under 18 years ................. 3,452,154 11.3 3,320,047 10.0 1,509,492 11.7 8,281,693 10.8

18 to 24 years .................. 3,103,380 10.1 2,853,810 8.6 921,062 7.2 6,878,252 9.0

25 to 34 years .................. 6,463,093 21.1 7,052,162 21.2 2,320,758 18.0 15,836,013 20.6

35 to 44 years .................. 5,518,829 18.0 7,392,136 22.2 2,447,759 19.0 15,358,724 20.0

45 to 54 years .................. 5,218,343 17.0 6,244,802 18.8 2,619,743 20.4 14,082,888 18.3

55 to 64 years .................. 4,064,546 13.2 3,882,578 11.7 1,865,517 14.5 9,812,641 12.8

65 years and over ............... 2,853,251 9.3 2,490,265 7.5 1,184,378 9.2 6,527,894 8.5

Unknown ...................... 2,976 - 2,669 - 3,001 - 8,646 -

- Represents zero or rounds to 0.0. 

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.