The INS recently released statistical information on legal immigration during fiscal year 2001 (October 1, 2000 – September 30, 2001). The report shows an increase from fiscal year 2000 from 849,807 to 1,064,318. The increase was, according to the report, almost entirely the result of the INS working through backlogs in adjustment of status applications, not an increase in the number of applications filed. Most immigrants, 64 percent, were family based. Only 17 percent immigrated through employment, while 10 percent were refugees or asylees, and most of the remainder, three percent, were admitted under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act. The following table shows the number of immigrants admitted in various categories during fiscal year 2001.
|
CATEGORY |
|
|
|
|
Number |
Percent |
| Total | 1,064,318 | 100.0 |
| New arrivals | 411,059 | 38.6 |
| Adjustment of status | 653,259 | 61.4 |
| Family Sponsored | 676,107 | 63.5 |
| Preference categories | 232,143 | 21.8 |
| First (unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens) | 27,098 | 2.5 |
| Second (spouses and all children of permanent residents) | 112,260 | 10.5 |
| Third (married sons and daughters of US citizens) | 24,878 | 2.3 |
| Fourth (siblings of US citizens) | 67,907 | 6.4 |
| Immediate relatives | 443,964 | 41.7 |
| Spouses | 270,545 | 25.4 |
| Parents | 80,964 | 7.6 |
| Children | 91,526 | 8.6 |
| Children born abroad to alien residents | 929 | 0.1 |
| Legalization Dependents | 37 | >0.05 |
| Employment Based | 179,195 | 16.8 |
| First (priority workers) | 41,801 | 3.9 |
| Second (professionals) | 42,620 | 4.0 |
| Third (skilled and unskilled workers) | 86,058 | 8.1 |
| Special immigrants | 8,523 | 0.8 |
| Investors | 193 | >0.05 |
| Diversity Program | 42,015 | 3.9 |
| Other Categories | 166,964 | 15.7 |
| Amerasians | 376 | >0.05 |
| Parolees, Soviet and Indochinese | 5,468 | 0.5 |
| Refugees and asylees | 108,506 | 10.2 |
| Refugee adjustments | 97,305 | 9.1 |
| Asylee adjustments | 11,201 | 1.1 |
| Subject to annual limit | 10,111 | 0.9 |
| Not subject to annual limit | 1,090 | 0.1 |
| Cancellation of removal | 22,506 | 2.1 |
| Subject to annual limit | 3,157 | 0.3 |
| Not subject to annual limit (NACARA Sec. 203) | 19,349 | 1.8 |
| IRCA legalization | 263 | >0.05 |
| NACARA Sec. 202 | 18,926 | 1.8 |
| HRIFA | 10,111 | 0.9 |
| Other | 808 | 0.1 |
The following table shows the major countries of origin of immigrants during fiscal year 2001:
|
COUNTRY |
|
|
|
|
Number |
Percent |
| Mexico | 206,426 | 19.4 |
| India | 70,290 | 6.6 |
| China, PRC | 56,426 | 5.3 |
| Philippines | 53,154 | 5.0 |
| Vietnam | 35,531 | 3.3 |
| El Salvador | 31,272 | 2.9 |
| Cuba | 27,703 | 2.6 |
| Haiti | 27,120 | 2.5 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | 23,640 | 2.2 |
| Canada | 21,933 | 2.1 |
| Dominican Republic | 21,313 | 2.0 |
| Ukraine | 20,975 | 2.0 |
| Korea | 20,742 | 1.9 |
| Russia | 20,413 | 1.9 |
| Nicaragua | 19,896 | 1.9 |
| United Kingdom | 18,436 | 1.7 |
| Colombia | 16,730 | 1.6 |
| Pakistan | 16,448 | 1.5 |
| Jamaica | 15,393 | 1.4 |
| Guatemala | 13,567 | 1.3 |
| Subtotal | 737,408 | 69.3 |
| Other and unknown | 326,910 | 30.7 |
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