Office of Immigration Statistics

POLICY DIRECTORATE

Nonimmigrant Admissions 

to the United States: 2009

RANDALL MONGER AND MACREADIE BARR

Nonimmigrants are foreign nationals granted temporary entry 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, and 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, 

those recorded on the I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. This Office of Immigration Statistics 

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

nonimmigrant admissions to the United States in 2009.1

During 2009, there were 163 million nonimmigrant1

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

 These included tourists and business 

travelers from Canada, Mexican nationals with Border 

Crossing Cards, and all admissions requiring the submission of an I-94 form. I-94 admissions accounted for 

22 percent (36 million) of the total admissions. The 

majority (90 percent) of I-94 admissions were shortterm visitors, such as tourists and business travelers, 

while the remaining 10 percent (3.4 million) were 

temporary residents characterized by a longer duration 

of stay, such as specialty workers, students, and nurses 

(see Figure 1 and Table 1). The leading countries of citizenship for I-94 admissions were Mexico, the United 

Kingdom, and Japan.

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 or 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, LPRs, and special 

immigrants. Maximum duration of stay is determined 

by class of admission. A person granted lawful permanent resident status3

 is authorized to live, work, and 

study in the U.S. permanently; conversely, a nonimmigrant is in a temporary status as a visitor or short-term 

resident for a specific purpose and whose activities, 

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 2009.

3 Commonly referred to as a legal permanent resident (LPR) or “green card recipient.”
2 DHS Office of Immigration Statistics

such as employment, travel, and accompaniment by dependents, 

are prescribed by his or her class of admission. 

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 persons. As such, 

one nonimmigrant may enter the U.S. more than once, and each 

entry would count as a separate admission record. 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 the foreign national entered 

the United States. 

Eligibility

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

evidence 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

Applicants for nonimmigrant admission are required to complete 

an I-94 form 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 are generally exempt from the I-94 requirement.4

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 have ties to Mexico 

that would compel them to return. 

I-94 Arrival/Departure Record Admissions

An I-94 form is required for all nonimmigrants entering the 

United States except the Canadian and Mexican citizens (and 

NATO officials) described above. The remainder of this report will 

focus on I-94 admissions. 

Visa Required 

If a visa is necessary for entry, the foreign national must apply at a 

U.S. embassy or consulate. The Nonimmigrant Visa Application, Form 

DS-156, must be completed and signed for all applicants; further, 

an interview is required for all applicants aged 14 to 79 years. 

Possession of a visa allows a foreign national to travel to a U.S. port 

of entry but does not guarantee admission. A U.S. Customs and 

Border Protection (CBP) officer determines whether the nonim

migrant may enter the U.S. and the permitted duration of stay. 

Foreign nationals with a nonimmigrant visa must complete the 

I-94 form. 

Visa Waiver Program

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows nationals from participating 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 VWPparticipating countries must possess a security-enhanced passport 

valid for six months beyond their expected stay; travel on an 

approved carrier and possess a return trip ticket if arriving by air 

or sea; demonstrate both intent to stay 90 days or less and sufficient funds to support themselves during their stay; and effective 

January 2009, obtain approval from the Electronic System for 

Travel Authorization (ESTA). ESTA is an Internet-based system that 

determines the preliminary eligibility of visitors to be admitted 

under the VWP prior to their embarking on trips to the United 

States. 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. Those entering under the VWP 

must complete the I-94W form.5

At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2009, 27 countries participated in 

the Visa Waiver Program: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, 

Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, 

Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, 

New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, 

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

November 17, 2008, the VWP was expanded to include the 

Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, South Korea, 

and Slovakia, and effective December 30, 2008, Malta was added 

to the program.6

Classes of Admission 

For the purpose of this report, nonimmigrant classes of admission are grouped into the following broad categories based on 

grounds for admission into the United States and expected duration of stay: “short-term resident” (herein referred to as 

residents), “non-resident,” and “expected long-term resident.” 

This categorization differentiates nonimmigrants who live in the 

United States while working or studying from other nonimmigrants. The former are usually considered U.S. residents for 

purposes of official population enumeration. Resident nonimmigrant classes of admission include temporary workers and 

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

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

-

5 The I-94W is scheduled to be discontinued in 2010; ESTA registration will replace the I-94W 

 requirement.

6 A similar visa-free entry program exists for nationals of certain countries seeking admission to 

 Guam only—the Guam Visa Waiver Program. In addition to the 35 counties included in the Visa 

 Waiver Program, 8 more countries were included in the GVWP during 2009: Indonesia, Malaysia, 

 Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, and Vanuatu. GVWP admissions are 

 typically processed through Agana, Guam.
DHS Office of Immigration Statistics 3

trainees, students, treaty traders and investors, intracompany 

transferees, representatives of foreign media, exchange visitors, 

and others (see Appendix A). Non-resident nonimmigrant classes 

of admission include temporary visitors for business or pleasure, 

foreign nationals in transit through the United States, and commuter students. The expected long-term resident category 

includes fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens and their children and victims 

of trafficking and abuse. The majority of foreign nationals admitted in expected long-term classes are expected to apply for and to 

be granted lawful permanent resident status.

DATA 

The data in this report were obtained from TECS of CBP which 

compiles and maintains information collected from nonimmigrants on the I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. Information 

collected on the I-94 form includes arrival and departure dates, 

port of entry, class of admission, country of citizenship, state of 

destination, age, and gender. 

TRENDS AND CHARACTERISTICS 

OF NONIMMIGRANT ADMISSIONS 

Between 2008 and 2009, I-94 admissions decreased 8 percent 

from 39.4 million to 36.2 million—the first year-to-year decrease 

in 5 years. Although nonimmigrant admissions declined after 

September 11, 2001, entries recovered to pre-2001 levels by 

2006, reaching a record level in 2008. During the 20-year period 

from 1989 to 2009, the annual number of I-94 admissions more 

than doubled from 16 million to 36 million. 

As outlined under the section titled “Classes of Admission,” I-94 

admissions have been divided into resident, non-resident, and 

expected long-term resident categories. Residents accounted for 

between 9 and 10 percent of I-94 admissions in each year from 

2007 to 2009 (see Table 1). During this period, non-residents represented 90 percent of annual I-94 admissions, while expected 

long-term residents accounted for only two-tenths of a percent. 

Resident and non-resident admissions are discussed separately 

below; the expected long-term resident category is not included 

because of low admission numbers.

Table 1. 

Nonimmigrant Admissions (I-94 only) by Category of Admission: Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

Category of admission

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,231,554 100.0 39,381,928 100.0 37,149,651 100.0

Non-residents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,544,098 89.8 35,434,175 90.0 33,301,754 89.6

 Temporary visitors for pleasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,800,027 76.7 29,442,168 74.8 27,486,177 74.0

 Temporary visitors for business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,390,888 12.1 5,603,668 14.2 5,418,884 14.6

 Transit aliens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346,695 1.0 387,237 1.0 396,383 1.1

 Commuter students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,488 -- 1,102 – 310 –

Short-term residents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,438,276 9.5 3,688,167 9.4 3,566,367 9.6

 Temporary workers and families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,703,697 4.7 1,949,695 5.0 1,932,075 5.2

 Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 951,964 2.6 917,373 2.3 841,673 2.3

 Exchange visitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459,408 1.3 506,138 1.3 489,286 1.3

 Diplomats and other representatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323,183 0.9 314,920 0.8 303,290 0.8

 Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 -- 41 – 43 –

Expected long-term residents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53,019 0.1 59,097 0.2 76,158 0.2

 Alien fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens and children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,009 0.1 34,863 0.1 38,507 0.1

 Alien spouses of U.S. citizens and children, immigrant visa pending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,515 -- 15,694 – 18,495 –

 Alien spouses of U.S. permanent residents and children, immigrant visa pending . . . . 5,445 -- 8,478 – 19,099 0.1

 Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 -- 62 – 57 –

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196,161 0.5 200,489 0.5 205,372 0.6

– Represents zero or rounds to 0.0. 

Note: Excludes the majority of short-term admissions from Canada and Mexico. See Appendix A for classes included in each category. 

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009. 
4 DHS Office of Immigration Statistics

SHORT-TERM RESIDENT ADMISSIONS 

Resident nonimmigrant admissions decreased 6.8 percent from 

3.7 million in 2008 to 3.4 million in 2009 (see Figure 1). 

Admissions of nonimmigrant residents had increased each year 

between 2003 and 2008 after a post-2001 decline. From 1989 to 

2009, the annual number of resident nonimmigrant admissions 

increased by almost threefold.

Class of Admission 

The leading resident nonimmigrant categories in 2009 were temporary workers and families (50 percent) and students (28 

percent) (see Table 2). These two categories accounted for over 

three-quarters of resident admissions. This composition remained 

relatively unchanged from 2007 to 2009. 

Admissions of temporary workers and families declined 13 percent from 2008 to 2009. H1B admissions decreased 17 percent 

from 409,619 in 2008 to 339,243 in 2009. Entries of seasonal 

nonagricultural workers (H2B and H2R) declined 48 percent from 

109,621 in 2008 to 56,543 in 2009.7

 Student admissions rose 3.8 

percent from 2008 to 2009, reflecting an increase in academic 

student entries (F1). Entries of intracompany transferees (L1) fell 

13 percent from 2008 to 2009, and exchange visitor admissions 

(J1) decreased 10 percent during the same period. 

Table 2. 

Short-term Resident Nonimmigrant Admissions by Class of Admission: Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

Class of admission

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,438,276 100.0 3,688,167 100.0 3,566,367 100.0

Temporary workers and families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,703,697 49.6 1,949,695 52.9 1,932,075 54.2

 Temporary workers and trainees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 936,272 27.2 1,101,938 29.9 1,118,138 31.4

 Workers in specialty occupations (H1B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339,243 9.9 409,619 11.1 461,730 12.9

 Chile and Singapore Free Trade Agreement (H1B1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 – 153 – 170 –

 Registered nurses participating in the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged 

 Areas (H1C) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 – 170 – 49 –

 Seasonal agricultural workers (H2A)* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149,763 4.4 173,103 4.7 87,316 2.4

 Seasonal nonagricultural workers and returning H2B workers (H2B,H2R) . . . . . . 56,543 1.6 109,621 3.0 154,895 4.3

 Trainees (H3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,168 0.1 6,156 0.2 5,540 0.2

 Workers with extraordinary ability or achievement and their assistants 

 (O1,O2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58,566 1.7 53,735 1.5 46,533 1.3

 Internationally recognized athletes or entertainers (P1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54,432 1.6 57,030 1.5 53,050 1.5

 Artists or entertainers in reciprocal exchange or culturally unique programs 

 (P2,P3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,469 0.4 17,125 0.5 16,735 0.5

 Workers in international cultural exchange programs (Q1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,555 0.1 3,231 0.1 2,412 0.1

 Workers in religious occupations (R1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,362 0.5 25,106 0.7 25,162 0.7

 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) professional workers (TN) . . . . . 99,018 2.9 88,382 2.4 85,142 2.4

 Spouses and children of temporary workers and trainees (H4,O3,P4,R2,TD) . . . 138,709 4.0 158,507 4.3 179,404 5.0

 Intracompany transferees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493,992 14.4 558,485 15.1 531,073 14.9

 Intracompany transferees (L1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333,386 9.7 382,776 10.4 363,536 10.2

 Spouses and children of intracompany transferees (L2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160,606 4.7 175,709 4.8 167,537 4.7

 Treaty traders and investors and spouses and children (E1 to E3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229,301 6.7 243,386 6.6 238,936 6.7

 Representatives of foreign media and spouses and children (I1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44,132 1.3 45,886 1.2 43,928 1.2

Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 951,964 27.7 917,373 24.9 841,673 23.6

 Academic students (F1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 895,392 26.0 859,169 23.3 787,756 22.1

 Vocational students (M1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,632 0.4 15,496 0.4 13,073 0.4

 Spouses and children of academic and vocational students (F2,M2) . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,940 1.2 42,708 1.2 40,844 1.1

Exchange visitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459,408 13.4 506,138 13.7 489,286 13.7

 Exchange visitors (J1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413,150 12.0 459,126 12.4 443,482 12.4

 Spouses and children of exchange visitors (J2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,258 1.3 47,012 1.3 45,804 1.3

Diplomats and other representatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323,183 9.4 314,920 8.5 303,290 8.5

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

 government officials and their spouses, children, and attendants (A1 to A3) . . . . . 175,119 5.1 169,267 4.6 163,476 4.6

 Representatives to international organizations and their spouses, children, 

 and attendants (G1 to G5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127,584 3.7 125,669 3.4 120,926 3.4

 NATO officials and their families (N1 to N7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,480 0.6 19,984 0.5 18,888 0.5

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 – 41 – 43 –

– Represents zero or rounds to 0.0. 

* The increase in H2A admissions between 2007 and 2008 may be due to more complete recording of pedestrian admissions along the Southwest border. 

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009. 

7 Issuances of H2R (returning H2B workers not subject to annual numerical limits) ceased at the

 end of 2007.
DHS Office of Immigration Statistics 5

Country of Citizenship 

The leading countries of citizenship for resident nonimmigrant admissions to the United 

States in 2009 were Mexico (12 percent), 

India (11 percent), Japan (6.6 percent), 

Canada (6.4 percent), China (5.8 percent), 

the United Kingdom (5.6 percent), and South 

Korea (5.6 percent) (see Table 3). These seven 

countries accounted for more than 50 percent of resident nonimmigrant admissions to 

the United States. 

From 2008 to 2009, decreases in resident 

admissions occurred among eight of the ten 

leading countries of citizenship. The decrease 

in admissions from Mexico (8.2 percent 

decrease) was concentrated among seasonal 

non-agricultural workers (H2B) and seasonal 

agricultural workers (H2A), while the decrease 

from India (14 percent decrease) was attributable to workers in specialty occupations 

(H1B). Declines in admissions from Japan 

occurred in the following classes of admission: 

treaty investors, spouses, and children (E2); 

academic students (F1); and intracompany 

transferees (L1). Increases in resident nonimmigrant admissions occurred among citizens 

from China (23 percent increase) and Canada 

(5.8 percent increase). The increase in admissions from China was largely accounted for by 

academic students (F1). The increase from 

Canada was concentrated among admissions 

of NAFTA professional workers (TN) and academic students (F1). 

Select Classes of Admission 

by Country of Citizenship 

The leading countries of citizenship for H1B 

admissions in 2009 were India (36 percent), 

Canada (6.5 percent), the United Kingdom 

(4.3 percent), and Mexico (4.2 percent) (see 

Table 4). Nationals from these four countries 

accounted for 51 percent of H1B admissions. 

In 2009, leading source countries for L1 

entries included India (16 percent), the 

United Kingdom (13 percent), and Japan 

(9.9 percent) (see Table 4). Forty percent of 

L1 admissions were accounted for by nationals of these three countries. 

Nearly half of academic student admissions 

(F1) were nationals of five countries: China 

(14 percent), South Korea (13 percent), India 

(9 percent), Mexico (8.2 percent), and Japan 

(5.6 percent) (see Table 5). Between 2007 

and 2009, admissions of Chinese academic 

students increased, while F1 entries from 

Japan declined.

Table 3. 

Short-term Resident Nonimmigrant Admissions by Country of Citizenship: 

Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

Country of citizenship

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,438,276 100.0 3,688,167 100.0 3,566,367 100.0

Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403,793 11.7 440,099 11.9 378,612 10.6

India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364,757 10.6 425,826 11.5 403,106 11.3

Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228,483 6.6 257,401 7.0 268,914 7.5

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221,208 6.4 209,125 5.7 209,464 5.9

China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201,131 5.8 163,433 4.4 136,886 3.8

United Kingdom . . . . . . . . 193,764 5.6 216,280 5.9 226,262 6.3

Korea, South . . . . . . . . . . 192,970 5.6 216,648 5.9 211,013 5.9

Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140,642 4.1 153,396 4.2 151,690 4.3

France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113,704 3.3 119,284 3.2 115,309 3.2

Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82,780 2.4 88,064 2.4 80,695 2.3

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,269,068 36.9 1,378,438 37.4 1,365,421 38.3

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,976 0.8 20,173 0.5 18,995 0.5

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.

Table 4. 

H1B and L1 Admissions by Country of Citizenship: Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

2009 2008 2007

Country of citizenship Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

H1B Admissions, Workers in Specialty Occupations

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339,243 100.0 409,619 100.0 461,730 100.0

India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123,002 36.3 154,726 37.8 157,613 34.1

Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,156 6.5 23,312 5.7 26,209 5.7

United Kingdom . . . . . . . . 14,610 4.3 19,209 4.7 25,507 5.5

Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,352 4.2 16,382 4.0 18,165 3.9

China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,922 3.8 13,828 3.4 16,628 3.6

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150,887 44.5 181,073 44.2 216,343 46.9

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,314 0.4 1,089 0.3 1,265 0.3

L1 Admissions, Intracompany Transferees

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333,386 100.0 382,776 100.0 363,536 100.0

India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54,556 16.4 63,156 16.5 51,469 14.2

United Kingdom . . . . . . . . 44,033 13.2 52,687 13.8 53,948 14.8

Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,860 9.9 37,507 9.8 36,008 9.9

Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,253 6.1 21,714 5.7 21,178 5.8

France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,779 5.6 21,858 5.7 20,141 5.5

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161,693 48.5 185,255 48.4 180,211 49.6

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,212 0.4 599 0.2 581 0.2

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.

Table 5. 

F1 Academic Student Admissions by Country of Citizenship: 

Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

Country of citizenship

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 895,392 100.0 859,169 100.0 787,756 100.0

China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125,141 14.0 90,290 10.5 67,303 8.5

Korea, South . . . . . . . . . . 113,519 12.7 127,185 14.8 117,446 14.9

India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80,251 9.0 85,067 9.9 74,276 9.4

Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73,497 8.2 54,084 6.3 54,836 7.0

Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,067 5.6 58,081 6.8 64,641 8.2

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444,922 49.7 439,023 51.1 404,520 51.4

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,995 0.9 5,439 0.6 4,734 0.6

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.
6 DHS Office of Immigration Statistics

State of Destination and Port of Entry 

The most frequent destinations of resident 

nonimmigrant admissions in 2009 were 

California (14 percent), New York (13 percent), Texas (8.5 percent), and Florida (6.5 

percent) (see Table 6). These four states represented the destinations of 42 percent of 

foreign nationals admitted. 

The majority of resident nonimmigrants were 

admitted through the following ports of 

entry: New York (16 percent), Chicago (7.8 

percent), Los Angeles (7.8 percent), 

Washington, DC (7 percent), Newark (6.8 

percent), and Miami (6.2 percent) (see Table 

7). In 2009, these six ports represented over 

half (52 percent) of resident admissions. 

Age and Gender 

In 2009, more than half (54 percent) of resident admissions were accounted for by 

individuals aged 25 to 44 (see Table 8). 

Another 24 percent of admissions were by 

persons aged 18 to 24. The majority (60 percent) of resident nonimmigrant admissions 

were male (see Table 8).

Table 6. 

Short-term Resident Nonimmigrant Admissions by State of Destination: 

Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

State of destination

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,438,276 100.0 3,688,167 100.0 3,566,367 100.0

California . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484,565 14.1 525,788 14.3 510,887 14.3

New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449,933 13.1 490,386 13.3 477,225 13.4

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290,928 8.5 292,340 7.9 293,897 8.2

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224,512 6.5 262,459 7.1 272,923 7.7

Massachusetts . . . . . . . . 139,534 4.1 145,459 3.9 141,527 4.0

New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . 132,723 3.9 157,601 4.3 157,535 4.4

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127,492 3.7 152,721 4.1 77,157 2.2

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112,423 3.3 125,994 3.4 122,735 3.4

Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111,981 3.3 104,919 2.8 101,397 2.8

Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103,990 3.0 113,609 3.1 115,695 3.2

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,135,606 33.0 1,248,623 33.9 1,223,962 34.3

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124,589 3.6 68,268 1.9 71,427 2.0

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.

Table 7. 

Short-term Resident Admissions by Port of Entry: Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

Port of entry

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,438,276 100.0 3,688,167 100.0 3,566,367 100.0

New York, NY . . . . . . . . . . 554,476 16.1 605,002 16.4 592,907 16.6

Chicago, IL . . . . . . . . . . . . 269,315 7.8 289,966 7.9 294,245 8.3

Los Angeles, CA . . . . . . . . 266,627 7.8 300,063 8.1 305,214 8.6

Washington, DC . . . . . . . . 239,251 7.0 229,028 6.2 214,178 6.0

Newark, NJ . . . . . . . . . . . 232,961 6.8 263,718 7.2 238,384 6.7

Miami, FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211,956 6.2 240,484 6.5 258,050 7.2

San Francisco, CA . . . . . . 201,170 5.9 216,781 5.9 203,232 5.7

Atlanta, GA . . . . . . . . . . . 173,080 5.0 174,668 4.7 166,283 4.7

Houston, TX . . . . . . . . . . . 145,937 4.2 148,018 4.0 139,344 3.9

Detroit, MI . . . . . . . . . . . . 85,417 2.5 115,672 3.1 115,200 3.2

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,051,569 30.6 1,091,426 29.6 1,030,104 28.9

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,517 0.2 13,341 0.4 9,226 0.3

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.

Table 8. 

Short-term Resident Nonimmigrant Admissions by Age and Gender: Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

Age

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,438,276 100.0 3,688,167 100.0 3,566,367 100.0

Under 18 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283,691 8.3 300,021 8.1 297,342 8.3

18 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 824,785 24.0 862,766 23.4 790,955 22.2

25 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,181,600 34.4 1,290,337 35.0 1,263,655 35.4

35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675,073 19.6 737,357 20.0 730,876 20.5

45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327,787 9.5 345,682 9.4 334,716 9.4

55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114,563 3.3 120,250 3.3 118,118 3.3

65 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24,326 0.7 27,059 0.7 26,257 0.7

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,451 0.2 4,695 0.1 4,448 0.1

Gender

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,438,276 100.0 3,688,167 100.0 3,566,367 100.0

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,066,792 60.1 2,248,999 61.0 2,176,405 61.0

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,319,934 38.4 1,399,042 37.9 1,350,849 37.9

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,550 1.5 40,126 1.1 39,113 1.1

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.
DHS Office of Immigration Statistics 7

NON-RESIDENT ADMISSIONS 

Trends in non-resident admissions paralleled trends in both resident admissions and total I-94 admissions. Non-resident 

admissions decreased 8.2 percent from 35.4 million in 2008 to 

32.5 million in 2009 (see Figure 1). After a decline following 

September 11, 2001, non-resident admissions increased each year 

between 2003 and 2008, a record year for non-resident entries. 

These admissions have been on a general upward trend since 

1989, doubling over the 20 year period. 

Class of Admission 

The leading non-resident nonimmigrant categories in 2009 were 

temporary visitors for pleasure (85 percent) and temporary visitors for business (14 percent) (see Table 9). These categories 

accounted for nearly all non-resident admissions. From 2008 to 

2009, admissions of temporary visitors for business decreased 22 

percent, and admissions of temporary visitors for pleasure 

declined 5.6 percent. 

Country of Citizenship 

In 2009, the leading countries of citizenship for non-resident 

admissions were Mexico (19 percent), the United Kingdom (14 

percent), Japan (10 percent), and Germany (5.8 percent) (see 

Table 10). These four countries accounted for the citizenship of 

nearly half of all non-resident admissions. 

Among leading countries, the only year-to-year non-resident 

admission increase was of Brazilian nationals (8.8 percent 

increase). Notable decreases in non-resident admissions occurred 

among nationals of the United Kingdom (14 percent decrease) 

and Japan (14 percent decrease).

Table 9. 

Non-resident Nonimmigrant Admissions by Class of Admission: Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009

Class of admission

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,544,098 100.0 35,434,175 100.0 33,301,754 100.0

Temporary visitors for pleasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,800,027 85.4 29,442,168 83.1 27,486,177 82.5

 Temporary visitors for pleasure (B2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,680,504 39.0 13,371,671 37.7 13,087,974 39.3

 Visa Waiver Program—temporary visitors for pleasure (WT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,272,553 43.9 15,099,059 42.6 13,469,851 40.4

 Guam Visa Waiver Program—temporary visitors for pleasure to Guam (GT) . . . . . . . . 846,970 2.6 971,438 2.7 928,352 2.8

Temporary visitors for business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,390,888 13.5 5,603,668 15.8 5,418,884 16.3

 Temporary visitors for business (B1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,408,092 7.4 3,052,581 8.6 2,928,875 8.8

 Visa Waiver Program—temporary visitors for business (WB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,977,361 6.1 2,546,322 7.2 2,486,015 7.5

 Guam Visa Waiver Program—temporary visitors for business to Guam (GB) . . . . . . . . 5,435 – 4,765 – 3,994 –

Transit aliens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346,695 1.1 387,237 1.1 396,383 1.2

 Aliens in continuous and immediate transit through the United States (C1) . . . . . . . . 326,704 1.0 365,958 1.0 376,451 1.1

 Aliens in transit to the United Nations (C2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,613 – 2,646 – 2,914 –

 Foreign government officials, their spouses, children, and attendants in transit (C3) . . . 17,378 0.1 18,633 0.1 17,018 0.1

Commuter Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,488 – 1,102 – 310 –

 Canadian or Mexican national academic commuter students (F3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,488 – 1,102 – 307 –

 Canadian or Mexican national vocational commuter students (M3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – – – 3 –

– Represents zero or rounds to 0.0. 

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009. 

Table 10. 

Non-resident Nonimmigrant Admissions by Country of Citizenship: Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009

Country of citizenship

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,544,098 100.0 35,434,175 100.0 33,301,754 100.0

Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,168,774 19.0 6,799,974 19.2 6,978,277 21.0

United Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,504,786 13.8 5,245,691 14.8 4,888,077 14.7

Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,138,650 9.6 3,647,282 10.3 3,851,493 11.6

Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,881,944 5.8 1,964,919 5.5 1,686,278 5.1

France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,563,993 4.8 1,586,159 4.5 1,294,853 3.9

Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 981,715 3.0 1,031,901 2.9 837,921 2.5

Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 869,310 2.7 798,877 2.3 696,962 2.1

Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775,885 2.4 806,069 2.3 753,482 2.3

Netherlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 715,023 2.2 785,486 2.2 658,090 2.0

Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 713,310 2.2 781,871 2.2 609,250 1.8

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,026,473 33.9 11,886,750 33.5 10,968,501 32.9

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204,235 0.6 99,196 0.3 78,570 0.2

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.
8 DHS Office of Immigration Statistics

State of Destination and Port of Entry 

The primary destination states for non-resident 

admissions in 2009 were California (16 percent), Florida (16 percent), New York (13 

percent), and Texas (7.1 percent) (see Table 

11). These four states represented the destinations of more than half of non-resident 

admissions. From 2008 to 2009, many leading 

destinations states experienced year-to-year 

decreases: New York (17 percent decrease), 

Illinois (16 percent decrease), Nevada (16 percent decrease), and New Jersey (14 percent 

decrease). During the same period, admissions 

to Guam declined 33 percent. 

The leading ports of entry for non-resident 

admissions in 2009 were New York, NY (13 

percent), Miami, FL (12 percent), and Los 

Angeles, CA (8.7 percent) (see Table 12). 

One-third of non-resident admissions were 

accounted for by these three ports of entry. 

Non-resident admissions for the ten leading 

ports of entry declined between 2008 and 

2009. Large decreases in admissions occurred 

in Chicago, IL (17 percent decrease), San 

Francisco, CA, (13 percent decrease), and Los 

Angeles, CA (13 percent decrease).

Age and Gender 

In 2009, 60 percent of non-resident admissions consisted of foreign nationals aged 25 

to 54, an additional 21 percent were aged 55 

and over, and 11 percent were under the age 

of 18 (see Table 13). Slightly more than 50 

percent of all non-resident admissions were 

accounted for by males (see Table 13).

Table 11. 

Non-resident Nonimmigrant Admissions by State or Territory of Destination: 

Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009

State or territory of 

destination

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,544,098 100.0 35,434,175 100.0 33,301,754 100.0

California . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,318,495 16.3 6,031,526 17.0 5,703,600 17.1

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,262,240 16.2 5,663,642 16.0 5,088,441 15.3

New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,199,119 12.9 5,068,048 14.3 4,290,067 12.9

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,298,856 7.1 2,498,049 7.0 2,510,085 7.5

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,333,185 4.1 1,492,252 4.2 1,570,786 4.7

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,066,018 3.3 1,266,055 3.6 1,145,997 3.4

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 782,863 2.4 844,779 2.4 851,068 2.6

Guam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731,206 2.2 1,097,729 3.1 1,136,430 3.4

New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . . 680,604 2.1 793,265 2.2 719,617 2.2

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 665,664 2.0 791,067 2.2 766,826 2.3

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,501,284 16.9 6,280,978 17.7 5,975,043 17.9

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,704,564 14.5 3,606,785 10.2 3,543,794 10.6

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.

Table 12. 

Non-resident Nonimmigrant Admissions by Port of Entry: Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

Port of entry

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,544,098 100.0 35,434,175 100.0 33,301,754 100.0

New York, NY . . . . . . . . . . 4,309,625 13.2 4,629,008 13.1 4,008,426 12.0

Miami, FL . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,884,222 11.9 3,948,711 11.1 3,683,012 11.1

Los Angeles, CA . . . . . . . . 2,842,529 8.7 3,261,624 9.2 3,128,031 9.4

Newark, NJ . . . . . . . . . . . 1,910,603 5.9 2,039,448 5.8 1,722,097 5.2

San Francisco, CA . . . . . . 1,326,747 4.1 1,528,872 4.3 1,402,755 4.2

Honolulu, HI . . . . . . . . . . . 1,279,882 3.9 1,375,797 3.9 1,493,513 4.5

Atlanta, GA . . . . . . . . . . . 1,228,807 3.8 1,376,402 3.9 1,248,063 3.7

Chicago, IL . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,226,859 3.8 1,480,715 4.2 1,419,825 4.3

Agana, GU . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,016,672 3.1 1,131,290 3.2 1,179,431 3.5

Houston, TX . . . . . . . . . . . 977,688 3.0 1,078,927 3.0 1,040,405 3.1

Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,504,714 38.4 13,502,063 38.1 12,924,467 38.8

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,750 0.1 81,318 0.2 51,729 0.2

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.

Table 13. 

Non-resident Nonimmigrant Admissions by Age and Gender: 

Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009 

Age

2009 2008 2007

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,544,098 100.0 35,434,175 100.0 33,301,754 100.0

Under 18 years . . . . . . . . 3,512,588 10.8 3,915,961 11.1 3,697,774 11.1

18 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . 2,752,321 8.5 2,854,680 8.1 2,667,267 8.0

25 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . 6,879,692 21.1 7,417,159 20.9 7,008,076 21.0

35 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . 6,861,222 21.1 7,729,140 21.8 7,294,564 21.9

45 to 54 years . . . . . . . . . 5,719,157 17.6 6,251,620 17.6 5,768,270 17.3

55 to 64 years . . . . . . . . . 4,135,332 12.7 4,458,913 12.6 4,189,264 12.6

65 years and over . . . . . . 2,640,892 8.1 2,768,166 7.8 2,628,329 7.9

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42,894 0.1 38,536 0.1 48,210 0.1

Gender

 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,544,098 100.0 35,434,175 100.0 33,301,754 100.0

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,390,177 50.4 18,333,371 51.7 17,318,208 52.0

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,395,756 47.3 16,411,843 46.3 15,394,391 46.2

Unknown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758,165 2.3 688,961 1.9 589,155 1.8

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), TECS, Arrival File, Fiscal Years 2007 to 2009.
DHS Office of Immigration Statistics 9

Appendix A. 

Nonimmigrant Classes of Admission

Class Description

Non-residents

 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

 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 

 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

Short-term Residents

 Temporary workers and families

 Temporary workers and trainees

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. . . . . . . . . Seasonal agricultural workers

H2B. . . . . . . . . Seasonal 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

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
—Continued

Appendix A. 

Nonimmigrant Classes of Admission

Class Description

 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

 Other categories

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

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

Expected Long-term Residents

 Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act

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

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

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 categories

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

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

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

10 DHS Office of Immigration Statistics