Temporary Admissions of Nonimmigrants to the United States

Temporary Admissions of Nonimmigrants to the United States By Qingqing Ji and Jeanne Batalova, Migration Policy Institute

Of the 53.1 million nonimmigrant (temporary) admissions to the United States in 2011, 40.6 million were tourist admissions. The number of temporary admissions of nonimmigrants to the United States — tourists, international students, diplomats, or temporary workers — has reached 53.1 million admissions in 2011.

The growth, due in part to more accurate border counts, is largely spurred by a surge in the number of business travelers and tourists — a trend that is expected to continue. Recent presidential initiatives are likely to further increase the number of nonimmigrant admissions in the coming years, with the advent of regulation changes designed to speed the issuance of visas for the growing numbers of international travelers from China and Brazil.

KJ