Figure 1.

Total and Employment-Based LPR Flow

to the United States: Fiscal Year 2000 to 

2004

0

300

600

900

1,200

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Thousands

Characteristics of Employment-Based Legal 

Permanent Residents: 2004 

Kelly Jefferys October 2005 

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants become legal 

permanent residents (LPRs) of the United States every 

year. Some of these are employment-based immigrants who were granted permanent status because 

their job skills met an employer’s need. This Office of 

Immigration Statistics Fact Sheet provides definitions 

for terms related to LPRs and descriptive characteristics of persons who became employment-based LPRs 

in the United States during 2004. 

The data presented in this fact sheet were derived from 

approved applications for LPR status that are maintained in the Computer Linked Application Information

Management System (CLAIMS) of the U.S. Citizenship 

and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department 

of Homeland Security. 

DEFINING “LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENT” 

A legal permanent resident (LPR) is a foreign national 

who has been granted lawful permanent residence in 

the United States. LPRs, more commonly known as 

“green card” recipients, are authorized to live and work 

permanently in the United States. 

The immigration laws of the U.S. government give high 

priority for LPR status to immediate relatives of U.S. 

citizens. Preference categories with annual limits are 

used to designate other priority groups for LPR status. 

These include: 1) family-sponsored preferences – 

sponsored by certain family members, annual limit of 

226,000 to 480,000; 2) employment-based preferences 

– sponsored by employers, annual limit of 140,000 plus 

unused family-sponsored preferences in the previous 

year; and 3) diversity – nationals of countries with low

rates of immigration to the United States, annual limit of 

50,000 in 2004. Other major categories of foreign 

nationals who may be eligible for LPR status include 

refugees and asylees. 

Employment-Based LPRs

An LPR who obtained a “green card” based on an 

opening for employment is referred to as an employment-based LPR. In most cases, the employer must 

first obtain certification from the Department of Labor 

that U.S. workers won’t be adversely affected, and that 

none are qualified, available, and willing to accept the 

job at prevailing wages. Then, an immigrant worker 

petition (Form I-140) must be approved by USCIS before the person may obtain a visa abroad and enter the 

United States as an LPR. Individuals already living in

the United States may apply for an adjustment of status 

to LPR. This category includes individuals applying to 

work permanently within the United States, as well as 

their spouses and children. 

The term principal employment-based LPR refers to 

the worker, while dependent includes the spouse and 

children of the worker. 

Employment-Based Preference Categories. There 

are five categories within the employment-based preference, including: 

• First Preference: Priority Workers. Includes those 

with extraordinary ability, outstanding professors and 

researchers, managers, and executives subject to 

international transfer to the United States. 

• Second Preference: Professionals with Advanced

Degrees. Includes those with exceptional ability, 

advanced degree professionals, and physicians to 

practice in underserved areas of the United States. 

• Third Preference: Other Professionals, Skilled, and 

Needed Unskilled Workers. Includes professionals 

with a bachelor’s degree, skilled workers, and 

unskilled workers.

Total

Employment-based

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

Linked Application Information Management System

(CLAIMS), Legal Immigrant Data, Fiscal Year 2000 to 2004.

Office of

Immigration Statistics

Management Directorate
 

2 DHS Office of Immigration Statistics

• Fourth Preference: Special Immigrants. 

Includes religious workers and employees or former employees of the U.S. 

government abroad. 

• Fifth Preference: Employment Creation. 

LPRs admitted as immigrant investors. 

DEMOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTIVES 

In 2004, a total of 946,142 persons became LPRs of the United States, and 

16 percent of those were employmentbased immigrants. Figure 1 illustrates the 

flow of employment-based LPRs relative

to the total LPR flow from 2000 to 2004. 

Employment preferences typically account for only 10 to 17 percent of the 

LPR flow in a given year. 

Table 1 compares the demographic characteristics of all persons who became 

LPRs during 2004 to those of employment-based LPRs. Five out of six employment-based principals were between 

25 and 44 years of age, while the age 

distribution for total employment-based

LPRs more closely resembled that for all 

LPRs. Males represented a larger proportion of employment-based LPRs (52 percent) than all LPRs (46 percent). This 

pattern was more pronounced for employment-based principals (72 percent 

male). More LPRs come from Mexico

than any other single country; however, 

more employment-based LPRs originated 

in India, China, or the Philippines. 

Occupation of Employment-Based

LPRs

The occupations of employment-based 

principal LPRs are displayed by the major 

categories used by the U.S. Census 

Bureau (see Table 2). Nearly threefourths (72 percent) were employed in 

management, professional, and related 

occupations. Computer/math scientists 

and technicians and engineers represented 17 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Approximately 6 percent of all 

employment-based principals worked in

service occupations. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

Visit the Office of Immigration Statistics 

Web page at uscis.gov/graphics/shared/ 

statistics. 

(Edited November 2005) 

Table 1.

Demographic Characteristics of All LPRs and Employment-Based Principal 

LPRs: Fiscal Year 2004

Employment-based 

Total Principals Dependents

 

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Age

 Total .............. 946,142 100.0 155,330 100.0 72,550 100.0 82,780 100.0

0 to 14 ................ 137,741 14.6 23,048 14.8 36 -- 23,012 27.8

15 to 24 .............. 164,347 17.4 14,274 9.2 662 0.9 13,612 16.4

25 to 34 .............. 268,327 28.4 55,344 35.6 32,254 44.5 23,090 27.9

35 to 44 .............. 183,655 19.4 44,922 28.9 28,281 39.0 16,641 20.1

45 to 54 .............. 94,884 10.0 14,353 9.2 9,036 12.5 5,317 6.4

55 to 64 .............. 53,866 5.7 3,011 1.9 2,019 2.8 992 1.2

65 and over ........ 43,282 4.6 376 0.2 262 0.4 114 0.1

Unknown ............ 40 -- 2 -- -- -- 2 --

Sex 

Male ................... 430,662 45.5 80,289 51.7 52,417 72.2 27,872 33.7

Female ............... 515,314 54.5 75,025 48.3 20,125 27.7 54,900 66.3

Unknown ............ 166 -- 16 -- 8 -- 8 --

Marital Status 

Single ................. 346,185 36.6 52,819 34.0 17,942 24.7 34,877 42.1

Married ............... 561,886 59.4 99,865 64.3 52,196 71.9 47,669 57.6

Other................... 35,770 3.8 2,278 1.5 2,246 3.1 32 --

Unknown ............ 2,301 0.2 368 0.2 166 0.2 202 0.2

Country of Birth 

India.................... 70,116 7.4 38,443 24.7 18,539 25.6 19,904 24.0

China .................. 51,156 5.4 15,583 10.0 7,435 10.2 8,148 9.8

Philippines .......... 57,827 6.1 15,497 10.0 7,398 10.2 8,099 9.8

Korea.................. 19,678 2.1 8,656 5.6 3,269 4.5 5,387 6.5

Mexico ................ 175,364 18.5 7,225 4.7 3,102 4.3 4,123 5.0

Canada............... 15,567 1.6 6,694 4.3 2,511 3.5 4,183 5.1

United Kingdom.. 14,915 1.6 6,437 4.1 2,945 4.1 3,492 4.2

Brazil................... 10,504 1.1 3,605 2.3 1,675 2.3 1,930 2.3

Pakistan.............. 12,086 1.3 2,591 1.7 1,161 1.6 1,430 1.7

Taiwan................ 8,961 0.9 2,295 1.5 1,262 1.7 1,033 1.2

Other................... 509,968 53.9 48,304 31.1 23,253 32.1 25,051 30.3

Figure is zero or rounds to 0.0. Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Computer Linked Application

Information Management System (CLAIMS), Legal Immigrant Data, Fiscal Year 2000 to 2004. 

Table 2. 

Occupation of All Employment-Based Principal LPRs: Fiscal Year 2004 

Occupation Number Percent

 Total .................................................................................................... 72,550 100.0

Management, professional and related .................................................... 52,621 72.5

 Computer/math scientists and technicians............................................ 12,377 17.1

 Engineers .............................................................................................. 10,900 15.0

 Executive, administrative, managerial................................................... 9,725 13.4

 Nurses ................................................................................................... 6,625 9.1

 Physical and life scientists..................................................................... 3,136 4.3

 Other ..................................................................................................... 9,858 18.7

Service occupations ................................................................................. 4,285 5.9

Production, transportation, material moving............................................. 2,008 2.8

Sales and office........................................................................................ 1,479 2.0

Construction, extraction, maintenance ..................................................... 1,146 1.6

Farming, fishing, and forestry................................................................... 196 0.3

Military ...................................................................................................... 11 --

Other (including no occupation) ............................................................... 944 1.3

Unknown .................................................................................................. 9,860 13.6

-- Figure rounds to 0.0. Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Computer Linked Application Information Management System (CLAIMS), Legal Immigrant Data, Fiscal Year 2000 to 2004.