Office of

Immigration Statistics

Management Directorate

Length of Visit of Nonimmigrants 

Departing the United States in 2003

Elizabeth M. Grieco March 2005 

Each year, millions of nonimmigrants, including tourists, business travelers, students, and diplomats, enter 

the United States. In 20031

, there were an estimated 

181 million nonimmigrant admissions2

. But how long 

after arrival do nonimmigrants typically remain in the 

United States? This Office of Immigration Statistics 

Working Paper examines the length of visit of nonimmigrants who departed the country in 2003. 

The primary source of data on nonimmigrant admissions and departures is the Nonimmigrant Information

System (NIIS) of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

(CBP). NIIS compiles and maintains data collected 

from the Arrival-Departure Record, also known as 

Form I-94. Nonimmigrants arriving by air, land, or sea 

are required to complete Form I-94, with two important 

exceptions. Canadians who travel to the United States 

as tourists or on business generally do not need the 

I-94 Form. Also, certain Mexicans who have a nonresident alien Border Crossing Card, commonly known as 

a laser visa or multiple entry visa, may not require the 

I-94 Form for entry. These exceptions are significant 

because Canadian and Mexican citizens make up the 

vast majority of all nonimmigrant admissions. Of the 

181 million nonimmigrant admissions in 2003, an estimated 157 million3 were Canadian and Mexican citizens who were not required to complete an I-94 Form. 

The NIIS data, while limited in scope, represent the 

best available source for estimating the time spent by

nonimmigrants in the country per visit. While it excludes the majority of short-term admissions from Canada and Mexico, NIIS does capture short-term admissions, including tourists, business travelers, and transit 

aliens, from all other countries. NIIS also captures temporary residents, such as students and high-skilled 

workers, long-term residents, such as fiancés(ées) of 

U.S. citizens, and diplomats, such as ambassadors and 

consular officers, from all countries, including Canada 

and Mexico. In 2003, NIIS recorded 27.8 million arrivals 

and 23.6 million departures. 

______________________________ 1

Years refer to fiscal years (October 1 to September 30). 2

Note that the 181 million nonimmigrant admissions for fiscal year 2003

exclude sea and air crew admissions (D-1 and D-2 visas). 3

Estimate based on data derived from both NIIS (Arrival File, FY 2003) 

and the Performance Analysis System (PAS). 

This report uses NIIS data to describe the average 

period of time nonimmigrants who departed in 2003 

had remained in the United States. In summary, over 

89 percent of nonimmigrants entered as short-term 

visitors, either as tourists or business travelers (see 

Figure 1), and usually remained between a few days 

to a few weeks. Students and temporary workers, who 

represented 7 percent, usually stayed for 26 weeks, or 

about one-half year, per visit. This analysis was prepared in response to Section 103(c) and (d) of the 

Immigration and Nationality Act, which mandates an 

annual report to Congress on the duration of stay of 

nonimmigrants in the United States. 

DEFINING “NONIMMIGRANT” 

A nonimmigrant is a foreign national seeking to enter 

the United States temporarily for a specific purpose. 

Nonimmigrants are admitted for a temporary period of 

time and, once in the country, are restricted to the activity or reason for which their visa was issued. 

Figure 1. 

Percent Distribution of Nonimmigrant 

Departures by Broad Class of Admission:

Fiscal Year 2003 

Students/

temporary 

workers

7%

All other 

visas

3%

Business 

travelers

17%

Tourists

72%

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Nonimmigrant 

Information System (NIIS), Departure File, FY2003. Based on

22.1 million matched records with valid dates of arrival and 

departure. Excludes majority of short-term nonimmigrants from

Canada and Mexico. 
 2 Office of Immigration Statistics

Nonimmigrant Visas and Authorized 

Period of Stay 

Nonimmigrant visas allow foreign nationals to travel to a U.S. port of entry, such 

as an international airport, a seaport, or 

a land border crossing. However, they do 

not guarantee entry. At the port of entry, 

an immigration officer of CBP authorizes 

a traveler’s admission into the United 

States and the period of stay (i.e., the 

length of time the bearer of a nonimmigrant visa is allowed to remain in the 

United States) for that visit. The initial 

authorized stay is noted in the I-94 Form 

CBP issues to the nonimmigrant. 

Nonimmigrant visa holders may apply to 

the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services (USCIS) to extend their initial 

period of stay provided they meet certain 

eligibility requirements. The initial stay 

and extensions of stay for each nonimmigrant visa are shown in Appendix 1. Many 

visas are valid for several years, allowing 

those visa holders to enter the United 

States multiple times. Nonimmigrants on 

long-term visas, however, are still issued 

an authorized period of stay by CBP each 

time they are admitted. 

Nonimmigrants are not permanent residents but some may apply to adjust their 

status to lawful permanent residence (i.e., 

obtain a “green card”) if they meet certain 

eligibility requirements. A nonimmigrant 

visa, however, does not necessarily lead 

to permanent resident status. 

Visit, Multiple Entries and Departures, 

and Length of Temporary Residence 

In this report, a visit refers to the time 

between a nonimmigrant entry and departure. Nonimmigrants such as tourists 

usually make single visits to the United 

States, arriving and departing only once. 

By comparison, nonimmigrants on longterm visas, such as temporary workers, 

diplomats, and students, often make 

multiple visits, arriving and departing 

several times during the period their 

visas are valid. 

Note that the term visit refers to the trip, 

not the traveler. A tourist, for example, 

who came to the United States during a 

year for a four-week vacation made a 

single visit. A business traveler who made 

three one-week trips during the same 

year made three visits. While the length 

of visit of most nonimmigrants is relatively 

short, lasting from a few days to a few 

weeks, visits can last for longer periods 

of time. A university student, for example, 

who remained in the country for four 

years made a single four-year visit. 

Nonimmigrants on long-term visas who 

reside in the United States for extended 

periods often make multiple visits into and 

out of the country during their stay. For 

these nonimmigrants, the length of temporary residence encompasses multiple 

visits. For example, a temporary worker 

who resided in the United States for two 

years but left the country for four weeks 

at the end of the first eleven months 

would have made two visits (the first for 

11 months and the second for 12 months) 

even though the actual length of temporary residence was two years. 

This Working Paper analyzes the average 

length of visit and not the length of temporary residence. For nonimmigrants on 

long-term visas, especially those classes 

where a high proportion make multiple 

entries and departures during their stay, 

the length of visit will underestimate – 

possibly significantly – the actual length of 

temporary residence. Caution should be 

used when drawing conclusions about the 

length of temporary residence for longterm visa holders using the length of visit 

data provided in this report. 

DATA AND METHODS 

The data presented in this report are derived from the Nonimmigrant Information 

System of the Department of Homeland 

Security’s U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection. NIIS compiles and maintains 

information collected from nonimmigrants 

by DHS Form I-94, which asks for dates 

of arrival and departure as well as limited 

demographic information, such as name, 

sex, nationality, and date of birth. Each 

time a nonimmigrant enters the United 

States, the arrival portion of the I-94 Form 

is collected and the information is entered 

into the data system. Conversely, each 

time a nonimmigrant leaves the United 

States, the departure portion is collected 

and the additional information is entered 

into NIIS. The arrival and departure 

records are then electronically matched, 

producing a single record that includes 

both the arrival and departure date. 

For this report, the length of visit in the 

United States was calculated using these 

matched arrival/departure records. 

Data Presentation 

This report uses five categories of admission to present the data, including 

1) transit aliens, 2) short-term visitors, 

3) students and temporary workers, 4) 

diplomats and other representatives, and 

5) expected long-term residents. These 

five categories group visas based on both 

type and authorized period of stay. 

Transit aliens, who are foreign nationals 

in immediate and continuous transit 

through the United States to foreign destinations, are included in the transit aliens 

category. Tourists and business travelers, 

who typically remain in the United States 

for a few days to a few weeks, are included in the short-term visitors category. 

Nonimmigrants who come to the United 

States to study or work and who usually 

remain in the country for several months 

to several years are included in the students and temporary workers category. 

Diplomats and representatives of international organizations, who typically remain 

in the United States for the duration of 

their service, are included in the diplomats and other representatives category. 

The expected long-term residents category includes those who arrived on nonimmigrant visas but are likely to become 

permanent residents, such as certain 

spouses and fiancés(ées) of U.S. citizens. 

Matching Departure and Arrival 

Records

Nonimmigrant departure records were 

matched to arrival records using three 

criteria: the admission number included 

on the arrival and departure portions of 

the I-94 Form, the first letter of the nonimmigrant’s last name, and the nonimmigrant’s date of birth. Departures that occurred in 2003 were matched to arrivals 

that occurred between 1999 and 2003. 

A total of 23.6 million nonimmigrant departures were recorded by NIIS during 

2003. Of those, 22.1 million or 94 percent 

were matched to an arrival and showed 

valid arrival and departure dates (see 

Table 1). 
The proportion of all admissions matched 

varies among the broad categories of 

admission. Short-term visitors had the 

highest match rate (95 percent), followed 

by diplomats and other representatives 

(93 percent), students and temporary 

workers (88 percent), and expected longterm residents (87 percent). Records 

missing the category of admission have 

the highest non-match rate (48 percent) 

but as a group represented less than 

Table 1. 

Nonimmigrant Departures During Fiscal Year 2003 Matched to Nonimmigrant 

Arrivals, by Broad Category of Admission 

Departure records 

Category of admission Number 

Matched to

arrival records1

Percent 

matched

 Total ................................................... 23,567,870 22,066,800 93.6

Transit aliens............................................ 510,906 408,765 80.0

Short-term visitors.................................... 20,782,452 19,712,202 94.9

Students and temporary workers ............. 1,873,219 1,646,128 87.9

Diplomats and other representatives ....... 216,894 202,766 93.5

Expected long-term residents .................. 22,764 19,719 86.6

Unknown .................................................. 161,635 77,220 47.8 1

Includes only those matched records with valid dates of arrival and departure. Source: U.S. Department of

Homeland Security, Nonimmigrant Information System (NIIS), Departure File, FY2003. 

1 percent of all departures in 2003 (see 

Table 2). 

Data Limitations. The length of visit estimates presented in this report are based 

on departures that occurred in 2003, were

recorded by the NIIS data system, and 

were matched to arrivals that occurred 

between 1999 and 2003. In some cases, 

departures are not recorded by the NIIS 

data system, primarily because I-94 

Forms are not always collected when

nonimmigrants leave the United States. 

This would occur, for example, if an airline failed to collect the I-94 Form from 

departing air passengers or if nonimmigrants leave via land ports where there 

are less structured procedures to collect 

the forms. The exact number of uncollected departure forms is not known. 

Even when a departure form is collected 

it may not be matched with an arrival form 

(see Table 1). Nonimmigrants who lose

their departure forms are issued a second 

departure number, resulting in a nonmatch with the original I-94 Form number. 

Administrative or clerical error may mean 

the data collected was not correctly entered into the NIIS database, resulting in 

a non-match. Errors in the matching

process may also affect the estimates. 

As in any statistical analysis, the conclusions drawn from the calculated estimates 

may be biased if the missing data are significantly different from the data on which 

the analysis is based. Unfortunately, little 

is known about the extent of this potential

bias or how it affects the data. 

Methods of Analysis

In this report, the length of visit was calculated by subtracting the date of departure

in 2003 from the date of arrival. Sameday departures were represented as one 

day. The mean, median, and frequency 

distribution of length of visit were calculated and are presented for each category 

of admission as well as class of admission (e.g., temporary visitors for business, 

exchange visitors, spouses and children

of students) and visa type (e.g., H-1B, 

Table 2. 

Percent Distribution of Departures by

Broad Category of Admission: Fiscal 

Year 2003 

Class of admission Number

Percent 

of total

 Total......................... 22,066,800 100.0

Transit aliens ................. 408,765 1.9

Short-term visitors ......... 19,712,202 89.3

Students and 

temporary workers......... 1,646,128 7.5

Diplomats and other 

representatives .............. 202,766 0.9

Expected long-term 

residents ........................ 19,719 0.1

Unknown........................ 77,220 0.3

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 

Nonimmigrant Information System (NIIS), Departure 

File, FY2003. 

F-2, C-1) (see Table 3 to Table 8). 

The mean length of visit represents the 

average number of days spent per trip by

a nonimmigrant admitted to the United

States. The median represents the number of days that divides the distribution of 

all lengths of visit in half, with half longer 

than the median and half shorter. The 

percentage of nonimmigrants remaining 

in the United States less than six months, 

six months to one year, and one year or 

more per visit are also shown.

RESULTS 

Table 3. 

Length of Visit of Nonimmigrants

Who Departed During Fiscal Year 

2003 

Total matched records................. 22,066,800

Mean and median

 Mean (days)1 ........................... 34

 Median (days)1......................... 8

Percent distribution 

 Less than 6 months ................ 95.1

 6 months to 1 year .................. 3.6

 1 year and over........................ 1.4 1

Same-day departures are represented as one day. 

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 

Nonimmigrant Information System (NIIS), Departure 

File, FY 2003. 

Nonimmigrants included in NIIS who 

departed in 2003 remained in the United 

States an average, or mean, of 34 days, 

or just under five weeks, per visit (see 

Table 3). The median length of visit was 

eight days, indicating half of all departing 

nonimmigrants remained in the country

for eight days or less. Over 95 percent of 

departing nonimmigrants remained for 

less than six months per trip, with approximately 4 percent remaining between

six months and one year, and 1 percent 

remaining one year or more. 

Transit Aliens

Transit aliens include foreign nationals in

continuous and immediate transit through 

the United States as well as those in transit to and from the United Nations headquarters district in New York City. Of all 

Office of Immigration Statistics 3 
nonimmigrant departures included in NIIS 

in 2003, transit aliens represented less 

than 2 percent (see Table 2). 

Transit aliens included in NIIS who departed in 2003 remained in the United

States an average of five days per visit 

(see Table 4). The median length of visit 

was one day, indicating half of all departing transit aliens remained in the country

for one day or less. Nearly all departing 

transit aliens remained in the country less 

than six months per trip. 

Aliens in transit to the United Nations 

had the highest average length of visit 

(134 days per trip) but represented less 

than 1 percent of all transit aliens.

Short-Term Visitors 

Short-term visitors include tourists and 

business travelers. Of all nonimmigrant 

departures included in NIIS in 2003, 

short-term visitors represented the largest 

group, accounting for over 89 percent 

(see Table 2). 

Short-term visitors included in NIIS who 

departed in 2003 remained in the United 

States an average of 22 days, or just over 

three weeks, per visit (see Table 5). The 

median length of visit was seven days, 

indicating half of all departing short-term 

visitors remained in the country for one 

week or less. Of all departing short-term 

visitors, 97 percent remained for less than 

six months per trip, with 2 percent remaining between six months and one year, 

and less than 1 percent remaining one 

year or more. 

On average, tourists stayed in the country

an average of 24 days per visit while 

business travelers remained 11 days 

each trip. 

Students and Temporary Workers 

Students and temporary workers include 

students, exchange visitors, representatives of foreign media, temporary workers 

and trainees, treaty traders and investors, 

intracompany transferees, NAFTA workers, and their families. Of all nonimmigrant departures included in NIIS in 

2003, students and temporary workers 

represented 7 percent of the total (see 

Table 2). 

Students and temporary workers included 

in NIIS who departed in 2003 remained in

the United States an average of 180 

days, or about 26 weeks, per visit (see 

Table 6). The median length of visit was 

109 days, indicating half of all students 

and temporary workers who departed 

remained in the country for 16 weeks or 

less. Approximately 67 percent of all departing students and temporary workers 

remained for less than six months per trip, 

with 19 percent remaining between six

months and one year, and 13 percent 

remaining for one year or more. 

Among all students and temporary workers, students had the greatest length of 

visit, with 314 days per trip, followed by

the spouses and children of students, with 

256 days per visit, NAFTA workers and 

their families, with 254 days per trip, and 

spouses and children of temporary workers and trainees, with 192 days per trip. 

Diplomats and Other Representatives

Diplomats and other representatives include foreign government officials, such 

as ambassadors and consular officers, 

representatives to international organizations, such as the United Nations and 

World Bank, and NATO officials, and their 

families, attendants, and personal employees. Of all nonimmigrant departures 

included in NIIS in 2003, diplomats and 

other representatives represented less 

than 1 percent of the total (see Table 2). 

Diplomats and other representatives 

included in NIIS who departed in 2003 

remained in the United States an average 

Table 4.

Length of Visit of Transit Aliens Who Departed During Fiscal Year 2003, by 

Class of Admission

 Length of visit 

 

 

Category and class of admission 

 

Matched 

records

(number)

Mean 

(days)

1

 

Median 

(days)

1

Less than 

6 months 

(percent)

6 months 

to 1 year

(percent)

One year 

and over 

(percent)

 Transit aliens............................ 408,765 5 1 99.5 0.4 0.1

Aliens in transit (C-1)...................... 168,222 8 1 99.2 0.5 0.2

Aliens in transit to the United 

 Nations (C-2).............................. 1,637 134 63 73.3 17.4 9.3

Foreign government officials 

 and families in transit (C-3) ........ 8,496 4 1 99.6 0.3 --

Transit without visa (C-4) ............... 230,410 2 1 99.8 0.1 --

-- Figure rounds to 0.0. 1Same-day departures are represented as one day. Source: U.S. Department of

Homeland Security, Nonimmigrant Information System (NIIS), Departure File, FY2003.

Table 5.

Length of Visit of Short-Term Visitors Who Departed During Fiscal Year 2003, by 

Class of Admission

 Length of visit 

 

 

Category and class of admission 

 

Matched 

records

(number)

Mean 

(days)

1

 

Median 

(days)

1

Less than 

6 months 

(percent)

6 months 

to 1 year

(percent)

One year 

and over 

(percent)

 Short-term visitors.................... 19,717,202 22 7 97.4 2.2 0.3

Temporary visitors for business ..... 3,718,251 11 5 99.3 0.5 0.2

 Business (B-1)............................ 1,889,980 15 6 98.8 0.9 0.3

 Visa waiver (WB)........................ 1,827,070 8 5 99.8 0.1 0.1

 Visa waiver, Guam (GB) ............ 1,201 4 4 99.9 0.1 --

Temporary visitors for pleasure...... 15,993,951 24 8 97.0 2.6 0.4

 Pleasure (B-2)............................ 5,622,514 48 13 92.0 7.2 0.8

 Visa waiver (WT)........................ 10,283,665 11 7 99.7 0.1 0.1

 Visa waiver, Guam (GT)............. 87,697 4 3 99.9 -- --

 Bering Strait agreement 

 entrants (BE).............................. 75 60 20 86.7 10.7 2.7

-- Figure rounds to 0.0. 1Same-day departures are represented as one day. Source: U.S. Department of

Homeland Security, Nonimmmigrant Information System (NIIS), Departure File, FY2003.

 4 Office of Immigration Statistics
of 79 days, or just over 11 weeks, per visit 

(see Table 7). The median length of visit 

was 19 days, indicating half of all diplomats and other representatives who departed remained in the country for less 

than three weeks. Approximately 87 percent of all departing diplomats and other 

representatives remained for less than six 

months per trip, with 9 percent remaining 

between six months and one year, and 

4 percent remaining for one year or more. 

Expected Long-Term Residents 

Nonimmigrants classified as expected 

long-term residents are likely to remain 

permanently in the United States. This 

category includes certain foreign spouses 

and fiancés(ées) of U.S. citizens and the 

children of those alien spouses and 

fiancés(ées). It also includes victims of 

trafficking and criminal activity and other 

special immigrants. Of all nonimmigrant 

departures included in NIIS in 2003, expected long-term residents represent less 

than one-half of 1 percent of the total. 

Expected long-term residents included 

in NIIS who departed in 2003 remained 

in the United States an average of 

227 days, or over 32 weeks, per visit 

(see Table 8). The median length of visit 

was 224 days, indicating half of all departing expected long-term residents remained in the country for 32 weeks or 

less. Approximately 44 percent of all expected long-term residents who departed 

remained for less than six months per trip, 

with 40 percent remaining between six 

months and one year, and 16 percent 

remaining for one year or more. 

   

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

Visit the Office of Immigration Statistics 

web page at uscis.gov/graphics/shared 

/statistics.

Office of Immigration Statistics 5 
Table 6. 

Length of Visit of Students and Temporary Workers Who Departed During Fiscal Year 2003, by Class of Admission

 Length of visit 

 

 

Category and class of admission 

 

Matched

records

(number)

Mean 

(days)

1

 

Median 

(days)

1

Less than

6 months

(percent)

6 months

to 1 year

(percent)

One year

and over

(percent)

 Students and temporary workers ................................................................................... 1,646,128 180 109 67.3 19.4 13.3

Treaty traders and investors and families ............................................................................ 137,924 111 57 80.6 13.6 5.8

 Treaty traders, spouses, and children (E-1)..................................................................... 36,489 114 60 79.8 13.9 6.3

 Treaty investors, spouses, and children (E-2).................................................................. 101,435 110 56 80.9 13.5 5.6

Students ............................................................................................................................... 334,866 314 220 44.8 24.9 30.3

 Academic students (F-1).................................................................................................. 329,844 316 224 44.4 24.9 30.6

 Vocational students (M-1) ................................................................................................ 5,022 147 101 70.2 21.9 7.9

Spouses and children of students ........................................................................................ 22,331 256 190 48.4 29.8 21.7

 Spouses and children of academic students (F-2)........................................................... 21,729 260 199 47.4 30.3 22.2

 Spouses and children of vocational students (M-2) ......................................................... 602 85 29 85.5 10.8 3.7

Temporary workers and trainees ......................................................................................... 397,506 153 86 70.6 19.4 10.0

 Registered nurses (H-1A) ................................................................................................ 449 199 165 57.9 29.0 13.1

 Specialty occupations (H-1B)........................................................................................... 262,880 173 91 68.4 18.0 13.6

 Nurses under the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act (H-1C) ........................... 18 189 120 66.7 11.1 22.2

 Agricultural workers (H-2A).............................................................................................. 8,095 154 139 66.2 31.7 2.1

 Nonagricultural workers (H-2B)........................................................................................ 45,963 171 170 54.5 44.1 1.4

 Industrial trainees (H-3).................................................................................................... 1,997 158 99 69.3 22.4 8.4

 Workers with extraordinary ability/achievement (O-1) ..................................................... 20,469 76 30 88.1 8.7 3.1

 Workers accompanying and assisting in performance of O-1 workers (O-2)................... 4,139 41 10 94.8 3.6 1.6

 Internationally recognized athletes or entertainers (P-1) ................................................. 31,296 41 11 94.1 4.7 1.2

 Artists or entertainers in reciprocal exchange programs (P-2)......................................... 1,463 82 21 83.9 12.7 3.3

 Artists or entertainers in culturally unique programs (P-3)............................................... 7,247 35 14 96.8 1.9 1.4

 Workers in international cultural exchange programs (Q-1)............................................. 1,250 194 164 52.5 34.9 12.6

 Workers in religious occupations (R-1) ............................................................................ 12,240 169 94 68.4 19.1 12.5

Spouses and children of temporary workers and trainees................................................... 76,996 192 138 49.0 26.3 24.7

 Spouses and children of H-1, H-2, and H-3 workers (H-4) .............................................. 70,597 268 198 47.4 26.7 25.9

 Spouses and children of O-1 and O-2 workers (O-3)....................................................... 2,618 166 98 68.7 19.9 11.4

 Spouses and children of P-1, P-2, and P-3 workers (P-4) ............................................... 1,065 144 109 68.8 25.4 5.8

 Spouses and children of R-1 workers (R-2)..................................................................... 2,716 179 110 63.8 22.3 13.9

Representatives (and families) of foreign information media (I-1) ....................................... 27,403 49 9 92.6 5.2 2.2

Exchange visitors ................................................................................................................. 277,534 159 113 73.3 18.9 7.8

 Principals (J-1) ................................................................................................................. 248,321 148 110 76.4 17.4 6.2

 Spouses and children of exchange visitors (J-2) ............................................................. 29,213 253 196 47.2 31.4 21.4

Intracompany transferees .................................................................................................... 348,144 110 54 80.5 13.6 5.9

 Principals (L-1)................................................................................................................. 247,850 83 37 87.2 9.1 3.7

 Spouses and children of intracompany transferees (L-2) ................................................ 100,294 177 128 64.1 24.6 11.3

Irish Peace Process Cultural Training Program (Q-2 and Q-3)............................................ 373 172 148 59.0 33.2 7.8

NAFTA ................................................................................................................................. 23,051 254 315 35.3 51.0 13.6

 Professional workers, NAFTA (TN).................................................................................. 18,983 246 311 37.1 50.2 12.7

 Spouses and children of NAFTA workers (TD)................................................................ 4,068 293 326 27.2 54.8 18.0 1

Same-day departures are represented as one day. Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Nonimmigrant Information System (NIIS), Departure File, FY2003. 

 6 Office of Immigration Statistics
Table 7.

Length of Visit of Diplomats and Other Representatives Who Departed During Fiscal Year 2003, by Class of Admission

 Length of visit 

 

 

Category and class of admission 

 

Matched

records

(number)

Mean 

(days)

1

 

Median 

(days)

1

Less than

6 months

(percent)

6 months

to 1 year

(percent)

One year

and over

(percent)

 Diplomats and other representatives ............................................................................ 202,766 79 19 86.5 9.2 4.3

Foreign government officials and families........................................................................... 111,359 74 10 86.8 8.8 4.5

 Ambassadors, public ministers, career diplomatic or consular officers (A-1).................. 20,589 128 60 75.8 16.1 8.1

 Other foreign government officials or employees (A-2)................................................... 89,686 59 8 89.7 6.8 3.5

 Attendants, servants, or personal employees of A-1, A-2 (A-3)...................................... 1,084 233 165 52.5 27.9 19.6

Representatives (and families) to international organizations............................................. 82,450 80 32 87.6 8.8 3.6

 Principals of recognized foreign governments (G-1)....................................................... 9,371 139 76 74.0 18.0 8.0

 Other representatives of recognized foreign governments (G-2).................................... 9,068 24 7 97.5 1.8 0.7

 Representatives of nonrecognized foreign governments (G-3) ...................................... 302 62 18 89.7 9.3 1.0

 International organization officers or employees (G-4) ................................................... 62,852 77 34 88.8 8.2 3.1

 Attendants, servants, or personal employees of representatives (G-5).......................... 857 271 229 45.7 29.5 24.7

NATO officials and families (N-1 to N-7)............................................................................. 8,957 128 58 73.5 18.5 8.0 1

Same-day departures are represented as one day. Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Nonimmigrant Information System (NIIS), Departure File, FY2003. 

Table 8. 

Length of Visit of Expected Long-Term Residents Who Departed During Fiscal Year 2003, by Class of Admission

Duration of stay

Category and class of admission 

Matched

records

(number)

Mean 

(days)

1

 

Median 

(days)

1

Less than

6 months

(percent)

6 months

to 1 year

(percent)

One year

and over

(percent)

 Expected long-term residents ....................................................................................... 19,719 227 224 43.7 40.1 16.2

Spouses and fiancés(ées) of U.S. citizens.......................................................................... 6,321 192 138 59.4 26.4 14.2

 Fiancés(ées) of U.S. citizens (K-1) ................................................................................. 3,889 220 161 54.0 28.2 17.7

 Children of fiancés(ées) of U.S. citizens (K-2) ................................................................ 658 168 95 64.0 22.9 13.1

 Spouse of U.S. citizen (K-3)............................................................................................ 1,546 136 98 70.3 22.6 7.1

 Child of U.S. citizen (K-4)................................................................................................ 228 153 129 64.0 30.3 5.7

International organization special immigrant (N-8 to N-9)................................................... 52 105 39 80.8 9.6 9.6

Victims of a severe form of trafficking (and spouses, children, and parents) 

 (T-1 to T-4)...................................................................................................................... 449 132 111 74.2 23.6 2.2

Victims of criminal activity (and spouses, children, and parents) (U-1 to U-4).................... 134 153 114 68.7 24.6 6.7

Spouse or child of a lawful permanent resident who has been waiting 3 years 

 or more for an immigrant visa (and dependent children) (V-1 to V-3)............................. 12,763 249 302 34.4 47.7 17.9 1

Same-day departures are represented as one day. Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Nonimmigrant Information System (NIIS), Departure File, FY2003. 

Office of Immigration Statistics 7 
Appendix 1. 

Class of Admission, Showing Time Limits Associated with Each Nonimmigrant Visa 

Class of admission Initial stay Extension Maximum stay

TRANSIT ALIENS 

C-1, C-31 Up to 29 days No Up to 29 days 

C-2 Duration of status N/A Duration of status

C-4 Up to 8 hours or next available flight No Up to 8 hours or next available flight 

SHORT-TERM VISITORS 

B-1 Variable, up to 1 year Yes Up to 6 months per extension. No maximum number of extensions.

B-2 Standard admission is not more than 6 

months. May be admitted for longer period, not exceeding 1 year, in special 

circumstances. 

Yes Up to 6 months per extension. No maximum number of extensions.

BE, WB, WT 90 days No 90 days

GB, GT 15 days No 15 days

STUDENTS AND TEMPORARY WORKERS 

E-1, E-2 Variable, up to 2 years Yes Up to 2 years per extension. No maximum number of extensions, 

with some exceptions. 

F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2 Duration of status N/A Duration of status

M-1, M-2 Variable, up to 1 year Yes Up to 1 year per extension. No maximum number of extensions. 

H-1A2 Variable, up to 3 years Yes Up to 3 years per extension. Total stay limited to 5 years, with 

some exceptions. 

H-1B Variable, up to 3 years Yes Up to 3 years per extension. Total stay limited to 6 years, with 

some exceptions. 

H-1C Variable, up to 3 years Yes Total stay limited to 3 years 

H-2A, H-2B Variable, up to 1 year (same as validity of 

labor certification) 

Yes Up to 1 year per extension. Total uninterrupted stay resulting from 

extensions limited to 3 years. 

H-3 Special education training, up to 18 

months; other trainee, up to 2 years 

Yes Special education trainee, total stay limited to 18 months. Other 

trainee, total stay limited to 2 years. 

H-4 Same as principal Yes Same as principal 

I Duration of employment N/A Duration of employment 

L-1, L-2 Variable, up to 3 years Yes Up to 2 years per extension. Those with specialized knowledge 

limited to 1 extension. Total limitation is 7 years for managers and 

executives and 5 years for those with specialized knowledge. 

O-1, O-2, O-3 Variable, up to 3 years Yes Up to 1 year per extension. No maximum number of extensions. 

P-1, P-2, P-3 Athletic and entertainment groups, up to 1 

year. Individual athletes, up to 5 years. 

Yes Athletic and entertainment groups, up to 1 year per extension, with 

some exceptions. Individual athletes, up to 5 years per extension, 

total stay limited to 10 years. 

P-4 Same as principal Yes Same as principal 

Q-1 Variable, up to 15 months Yes Total stay limited to 15 months 

Q-2, Q-3 Variable, up to 3 years Yes Total stay limited to 3 years 

R-1, R-2 Variable, up to 3 years Yes Up to 2 years per extension. Total stay limited to 5 years. 

TN, TD Variable, up to 1 year Yes Up to 1 year per extension. No maximum number of extensions. 

DIPLOMATS AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES 

A-1, A-2, G-1, G-2, G-3,

G-4, N-1, N-2, N-3, N-4, 

N-5, N-6 

Duration of status N/A Duration of status

A-3, G-5, N-7 Variable, up to 3 years Yes Up to 2 years per extension. No maximum number of extensions. 

EXPECTED LONG-TERM RESIDENTS 

K-1, K-2 90 days No 90 days to marry and apply to adjust status 

K-3, K-4, V-1, V-2, V-3 Variable, up to 2 years Yes (with 

restrictions) 

Up to 2 years per extension. No maximum stay. 

N-8, N-9 Variable, up to 3 years Yes Up to 3 years per extension. No maximum stay. 

T-1, T-2, T-3, T-4 3 years No Victims of severe forms of trafficking may apply for permanent 

resident status 90 days before expiration of their 3 year admission 

period. 

U-1, U-2, U-3, U-4 Regulations not yet published. -- -- 1

C-1 visas were suspended as of 8/2/2003. 2H-1A visa program ended in 1995. Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security

 8 Office of Immigration Statistics