1997 U.S. Immigration Figures Compiled
Posted Feb 25, 1999

According to Immigration and Naturalization Service numbers released on January 22, 1999, 38,071 Indians legally immigrated to the United States during fiscal year 1997. Of the 798,378 total number of immigrants to the U.S. in 1997, Indians represented 4.8% as the fifth largest group of immigrants, preceded only by Mexicans, Filipinos, Chinese and Vietnamese. Although 6,788 more Indians migrated in 1996 to the United States, the percentage of Indians in the total immigration numbers remained fairly constant from 1994 through 1997, ranging from 4.3% to 4.9%.

As an aside, as we have pointed out in an earlier edition of the Immigration Law Bulletin of the Law Office of Sheela Murthy, India has the highest number of H1Bs in the U.S. The top 5 countries providing the U.S. with H1B professionals are as follows: India, the United Kingdom, Japan, Philippines and Germany.

Pakistan, with a total of 12,967 migrants representing 1.6% of the total numbers for 1997, was 15th in the top 20 of nations with the most immigrants to the U.S. The figures for Pakistan have risen from 1.1% in 1994 and 1.4% in 1995 and 1996. Bangladesh, which was the largest beneficiary of the DV lottery program in South Asia, did not make the top twenty list.

Mexico was the largest contributor to U. S. immigration with 146,865 immigrants representing 18.4% of the total, thereby making North America the largest geographic source of immigrants with 307,488 (38.5%), followed by Asia with 265,786 (33.3%) and Europe with 119,989 (15.0%).

Where do these immigrants want to live once they relocate to the United States? The Big Apple is the perennial favorite, receiving a whopping 13.5% of the immigrants. The Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA area took in 7.8%, Miami, FL , 5.7%, Chicago, IL, 4.4% and the Washington D.C.-MD-VA area, 3.9% of all immigrants.

The number of aliens granted legal permanent residency in 1997 declined from 1996 by 13% to 915,900 aliens. This decrease was attributed by the INS to an increase in the number of adjustment of status applications pending a decision, and was not related to any decline in the demand to immigrate. The reduction in the family preference limit from 311,819 to 226,000 was also a factor in the decline in immigration numbers. Immediate family members of U.S. citizens rose to 322,330 which is 40.4% of all immigrants.

The INS reports that it processed a record 1.6 million naturalization applications in 1997. As a result of the tremendous backlog of 1.8 million applications for citizenship last year, the U.S. raised the citizenship application fees from $95 to $225 in January 1999. INS estimates that 700,000 aliens will start the process to become naturalized citizens this year.