Did You Know That . . .

• Most immigrants--over 85 percent--cone to the U.S. legally.
• Most legal immigrants, about 8 out of 11, come to join close family members.
• As of 1990, about 8 percent of the U.S. population was foreign-born. By comparison, from 1870 to 1920, the foreign born made up approximately 15 percent of the total population.
• A little more than 1.1 million immigrants arrive in the U.S. each year. Of these, about 700,000 enter as lawful permanent residents and another 100,000-150,000 enter legally as refugees or others fleeing persecution. Roughly 300,000 undocumented immigrants (people without legal status) enter the U.S. each year.
• According to the 1990 Census, 6 percent of all foreign-born Americans had entered the country as refugees or people seeking asylum from various kinds of persecution. Most refugees and asylum seekers go through the process to become legal permanent residents as soon as they are eligible.
• One-third of the immigrants living in the U.S. in 1990 were naturalized citizens and nearly half were legal permanent residents.
• Undocumented immigrants constitute about 1 percent of the total U.S. population and roughly 13 percent of the foreign-born population.
• Most undocumented immigrants don't come to the U.S. by crossing a border illegally. Six out of 10 enter the U.S. legally with student, tourist, or business visas and become "illegal" when they stay in the U.S. after their visas expire.

Where Do Immigrants Come From?

In 1993, the "top ten" countries from which the U.S. received legal immigrants were: Mexico (109,027), mainland China (65,552), the Philippines (63,189), Vietnam (59,613), the former Soviet Union (58,568), the Dominican Republic (44,886), India (40,021), Poland (27,729), El Salvador (25,517), and the United Kingdom (18,543).

Where Do Refugees Come From?

In 1993, the "top ten" countries from which the U.S. received refugees were: the former Soviet Union, Vietnam, Haiti, Laos, Somalia, Iraq, Cuba, Iran, Ethiopia, and Liberia.

Sources:

Michael Fix and Jeffrey S. Passel, Immigration and Immigrants, Setting the Record Straight (Washington, D.C.): Urban Institute, 1994). U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Statistics Division, INS Fact Book: Summary of Recent Immigration Data (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, June 1994).

Prepared Fall 1994 by
The National Immigration Forum
220 I Street, NE #220
Washington, D.C. 20002-4362
Phone: 202-544-0004
Fax: 202-544-1905

Fast Facts on Where Immigrants Live
Immigration Fact and Fancy: A Quiz

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