Immigration Definitions and Statistics

We hear a lot of talk about immigration in the news, in political speeches and debates, and perhaps even in our daily conversations. These discussions often involve the use of language that has specific meaning for those who deal with the realities of U.S. immigration policies and processes firsthand: the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration, immigration lawyers and advocates, social workers, and law enforcement, to name a few. Here, you'll find a list of some of the most pertinent terms, definitions, and statistics.

Naturalization: The conferring, by any means, of citizenship upon a person after birth.

• 710,544 Petitions for naturalization were filed in 2010.
• Approximately 82% (619,913 petitions) were granted.
• Approximately 8% (56,990 petitions) were denied.

Alien: Any person not a citizen or national of the United States

Legal Permanent Resident (LPR): An alien who has been granted lawful permanent residence in the United States. They are also known as "green card" recipients. Most LPRs are eligible to apply for naturalization within five years after obtaining LPR status.

• 1,042,625 people were granted LPR status in 2010.
• Approximately 41% (427,031 people) came from American (North or South America) nations.
• Approximately 39% (410,209 people) came from Asian nations.
• Approximately 10% (98,246 people) came from African nations.
• Approximately 9% (95,379 people) came from European nations.
• Less than 1% (5,946 people) came from Oceanian (Australia, New Zealand, etc.) nations.

Asylee: Any alien in the United States or at a port of entry who is found to be unable to return to his or her country of nationality, or to seek the protection of that country, because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Persecution or the fear thereof must be based on the alien's race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Aliens may request asylum regardless of their immigration status. Asylees are eligible to adjust to lawful permanent resident status after one year of continuous presence in the United States. These immigrants are limited to 10,000 adjustments per fiscal year.

• 21,113 people were granted asylum in the United States in 2010.
• Approximately 53% (11,244 asylees) went through the Affirmative Asylum process, in which the individual proactively applies for asylum upon entering the country.
• Approximately 47% (9,869 asylees) went through the Defensive Asylum process, which is triggered automatically for individuals who've been identified for deportation and who have expressed a "credible fear" of persecution.

Refugee: Any person who is outside his or her country of nationality who is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Persecution or the fear thereof must be based on the alien's race, religion,nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Refugees are subject to ceilings by geographic area set annually by the President in consultation with Congress and are eligible to adjust to lawful permanent resident status after one year of continuous presence in the United States.

• 73,293 refugees were admitted to the United States in 2010.
• Approximately 72% (52,695 refugges) came from an Asian nation.
• Approximately 18% (13,325 refugees) came from African nations.
• Approximately 6.5% (4,856 refugees) came from North American nations.
• Approximately 2% (1,238 refugees) came from European nations.
• Less than 1% (126 refugees) came from South American nations. 
• Approximately 1.5% (1,053 refugees) were of unknown nationality.

Nonimmigrant: An alien who seeks temporary entry to the United States for a specific purpose. The alien must have a permanent residence abroad (for most classes of admission) and qualify for the nonimmigrant classification sought Most nonimmigrants can be accompanied or joined by spouses and unmarried minor (or dependant) children. The classifications of nonimmigrants include:

• Temporary worker: An alien coming to the United States to work for a temporary period of time. These include:
• Registered nurses to work in areas with a shortage of health professionals;
• Workers with "specialty occupations" admitted on the basis of professional education, skills, and/or equivalent experience;
• Temporary agricultural workers coming to the U.S. to perform services or labor when authorized workers are unavailable in the U.S.;
• Non-agricultural workers coming the the U.S. to perform services or labor if unemployed persons capable of performing the service or labor cannot be found in the U.S.;
• Aliens coming temporarily to the U.S. as trainees, other than to receive graduate medical education or training;
• Temporary workers with extraordinary ability or achievement in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics;
• Athletes or entertainers at an internationally recognized level of performance; artists and entertainers under a program that is "culturally unique";
• Temporary workers to perform work in religious occupations
• Student: An alien coming temporarily to the United States to pursue a full course of study in an approved program in either an academic or a vocational or other recognized nonacademic institution
• Exchange visitor: An alien coming temporarily to the United States as a participant in a program approved by the Secretary of State for the purpose of teaching, instruction or lecturing, studying, observing, conducting research, consulting, demonstrating special skills, or receiving training
• Transit alien: An alien in immediate and continuous transit through the United States, with or without a visa, including 1) aliens who qualify as persons entitled to pass in transit to and from the UN Headquarters District and foreign countries and 2) foreign government officials and their spouses and unmarried minor (or dependant) children in transit
• LIFE Act participant: The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act (2000) allows persons who were qualified for permanent resident status but had immigration status violations to pay a penalty fee and apply for adjustment of status at an INS office. The Act also created nonimmigrant classes of admission allowing entry of spouses and children of U.S. citizens and permanent resident who'd had petitions for immigrant visas pending for three years or more
• Temporary visitor for pleasure
• Temporary visitor for business
• Diplomat

There were 159,700,000 nonimmigrant admissions in 2010.

Nonimmigrants whose residence in the United States will extend past 90 days must obtain a nonimmigrant visa and complete Form I-94; however, most nonimmigrants whose stay will last fewer than 90 days do not need a visa at all.

• 46,471,516 people completed a Form I-94.
• Approximately 75% (35,131,310 people) were admitted as temporary visitors for pleasure.
• Approximately 11% (5,205,980 people) were admitted as temporary visitors for business.
• Approximately 6% (2,816,525 people) were admitted as temporary workers.
• Approximately 3% (1,646,789 people) were admitted as students.
• Approximately 1% (543,335 people) were admitted as exchange visitors.
• Less than 1% (380,241 people) were admitted as diplomats.
• Less than 1% (327,584 people) were admitted as transit aliens.
• Less than 1% (73,703 people) were admitted as participants in the LIFE Act.
• Less than 1% (344,049 people) were admitted as unknown/other.

Enforcement Action: Includes the apprehension, removal, and/or return of foreign nationals who are in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. These actions occur at the borders of the United States, in the interior of the country, and at designated sites outside the United States.

Deportable Alien: An alien in and admitted to the United States subject to any grounds of removal specified in the Immigration and Nationality Act. This includes any alien illegally in the United States, regardless of whether the alien entered the country by fraud or misrepresentation or entered legally but subsequently lost legal status.

• 516,992 deportable aliens were located in 2010.

Removal: The expulsion of an alien from the United States by an order of removal. This expulsion may be based on grounds of inadmissibility or deportability.

• 387,242 people were removed from the United States in 2010.
• Approximately 57% (218,710 people) were removed as non-criminals.
• Approximately 43% (166,532 people) were removed as criminals.

Return: The confirmed movement of an inadmissible or deportable alien out of the United States not based on an order of removal.

• 476,405 people were returned to their country of origin in 2010.

* The information above was compiled from the 2010 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, published by the Department of Homeland Security. For more information, check out the DHS Immigration Website.