Legal Immigration to United States Up from Last Year

Legal immigration to the United States increased by one-third between fiscal years 2003 and 2004, even as refugee and temporary admissions largely rebounded to near pre-9/11 levels. 

Legal immigration to the United States rose by 34 percent between fiscal years (FY) 2003 and 2004, largely due to adjustments of status by immigrants already present in the United States.

This fact sheet reviews data released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which show that in FY 2004:

  • The level of newly arriving legal permanent residents remained relatively steady, even as adjustments of status by immigrants already in the United States rose 68 percent.
  • Refugee admissions recovered significantly, but remained below pre-9/11 levels.
  • The level of temporary visitors rebounded to near pre-9/11 levels.
  • Naturalizations increased by 16 percent.

About the U.S. Immigration Policy Program

The U.S. Immigration Policy Program provides analysis of U.S. immigration pathways, the impacts of enforcement and other policies, and the characteristics of immigrant populations.