Directorate for

Social, Behavioral

and Economic

Sciences

National Science Foundation

Immigration of Scientists and Engineers

Increased Slightly in 1993, Despite

Decline in Immigration Overall

Despite an overall

decline in

immigration to the

United States in

1993, the admission

of scientists and

engineers continued

to rise, with women

representing 21.3

percent of the total

admitted with

permanent resident

status.

Vol. 1995, No. 11, August 21, 1995

Electronic

Dissemination

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the World Wide Web (http://

www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/stats.htm)

and also through STIS, NSF’s

online Science and Technology

Information System, described

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For a paper copy of the flyer,

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Science Resources Studies Division

DATA BRIEF

by Joanne P.

Streeter

1 INS, 1993 Statistical Yearbook of the

Immigration and Naturalization Service and the

Immigrant Public Use data files.

2 “Occupation” as reported in INS data refers

to the employment held in the country of last or

legal residence or in the United States. For an

alien with a labor certification, occupation is the

employment for which certification has been

issued. Note that these definitions of S&Es do

not directly correspond with those used in other

NSF surveys of S&Es.

D

espite an overall decline in immigration

to the United States in 1993, the

admission of scientists and engineers (S&Es)

continued to rise. According to Immigration

and Naturalization Service (INS) data, 1

23,534 S&Es were admitted to the United

States on permanent visas in 1993, representing a 3.1-percent increase over S&E

immigration in 1992. This increase follows

the large jump in admissions in 1992 totaling

22,870, 62 percent higher than S&E immigration in 1991 (14,100). The total immigration to the United States in 1993 is

estimated at 904,292, thus S&Es constituted

2.6 percent of the total.

Characteristics of Immigrant

Scientists and Engineers

S&Es employed in science occupations 2

represented 38.6 percent of 1993 S&E

immigration, with mathematical scientists

and computer specialists accounting for

nearly half of scientists admitted. Engineers

made up 61.6 percent of the total in 1993.

Women represented 21.3 percent of S&Es

admitted to the United States with permanent

resident status in 1993, with 5,020 women

S&Es being admitted. Chart 1, using INS

data for 1989 to 1993, shows that the number,

as well as the proportion, of women

immigrating to the United States has been

consistently increasing over time.

4,000

8,000

12,000

16,000

20,000

FY 1989 FY 1990 FY 1991 FY 1992 FY 1993

Men, total

Women, total

Fiscal year of admission

Chart 1. Scientists and engineers admitted to the United States on

permanent visas, by fiscal year of admission and sex: 1989-93

SOURCE: National Science Foundation/SRS, using unpublished data provided

by the U.S. Department of Justice/Immigration and Naturalization Service

Chart 1. Scientists and engineers admitted to

the United States on permanent visas, by

fiscal year of admission and sex: 1989-93

84.2% 83.2%

16.8%

81.8%

18.2%

19.9%

80.1% 78.7%

21.3%

15.8%

In 1993 57.9 percent of all S&Es admitted

were from the Far East. China was reported as

country of birth by 20.4 percent of all S&E

immigrants, and India was reported by another

17.5 percent of those admitted. Immigration

from these two countries accounted for 37.9

percent of all S&E immigration, showing an

increase from 1992, when 29.2 percent of all

immigrant S&Es reported either India or China

as their country of birth. INS data for

previous years show that immigrants from the

Far East have constituted a large and growing

proportion of all S&E immigration.

Prior to 1991 most S&E immigrants in a given

year were new arrivals; a minority were

already in the United States and had their

resident status adjusted from temporary to
200

400

600

800

Scientists Engineers Tech

Men

Women

Occupation

SOURCE: National Science Foundation/SRS, using unpublished data provided

by the U.S. Department of Justice/Immigration and Naturalization Service

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Chart 2. Scientists, engineers, technologists,

and technicians admitted to the United States

on permanent visas under the Chinese Student

Protection Act, by occupation and sex: 1993

Technologists &

Technicians

66.8%

33.2% 19.6%

41.7%

80.4%

58.3%

permanent. Data for 1991 show

proportions of both new arrivals and

adjustment-of-status cases to be

roughly equal, whereas in 1992

adjustment-of-status cases increased to

65 percent of S&E immigration. This

trend continued in 1993, with 68.5

percent of all S&E immigration

resulting from adjustment-of-status

cases.

The Chinese Student

Protection Act of 1992

In the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen

Square incident, Congress enacted the

Chinese Student Protection Act of

1992, permitting Chinese nationals

temporarily residing in the United

States to adjust to permanent resident

status. Under the provisions of this

act, 1,403 S&Es were admitted in

1993 (chart 2). These S&Es are

included in the 1993 total S&E

immigration of 23,534. Also admitted

under the act were 654 technologists

and technicians. Further adjustmentof-status cases resulting from this act

will be reflected in 1994 immigration

1992. This number had been fairly

constant at approximately 6,000

from 1988 through 1990. A third of

all technologists and technicians

admitted to the United States were

women. Compared with S&E

admissions in 1993, technologists

and technicians were more likely to

be new arrivals, with 44.2 percent

being adjustment-of-status cases.

This Data Brief was prepared by

Joanne P. Streeter, Division of

Science Resources Studies, National

Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson

Boulevard, Suite 965, Arlington, VA

22230. For free printed copies of

SRS Data Briefs, write to the above

address, call 703-306-1773, or

because not all applications were submit- send e-mail to databrief@nsf.gov.

ted and processed in 1993.

Immigrant Technologists and

Technicians in 1993

The INS data show that 10,234 technologists and technicians were admitted to the

United States as legal permanent residents in 1993, 26.5 percent more than in