Legal Immigration to United States Increased Substantially in FY 2005

This fact sheet provides an overview of immigration to the United States based on fiscal year (FY) 2005 data released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Immigration Statistics in 2006. It highlights key figures and trends relating to both permanent and temporary immigration flows, as well as the demographic characteristics of new lawful permanent residents (also known as green-card holders), temporary visitors, and naturalized citizens.

Permanent immigration increased by 17 percent in FY 2005, fueled by the large increase in persons adjusting to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status from another immigration status. Family-based immigration continued to comprise a large proportion of the overall LPR flow in FY 2005, though its share was slightly smaller than in recent years. The number of employment-sponsored LPRs increased as well, significantly exceeding the 140,000 annual cap due to a provision that allowed unused visa numbers from FY 1999 and 2000 to be recaptured and channeled towards admissions in this category.

The fact sheet also looks at naturalizations and the number of refugee admissions, temporary admissions, and nonimmigrant visa categories.