Immigration & Economy

About 629,000 foreign visitors who were expected to leave the U.S. in fiscal 2016 were still in the U.S. when the fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

Read key facts about foreign graduates of U.S. colleges working in the country under the Optional Practical Training program.

Almost 1.8 million H-1B visas have been distributed in fiscal years 2001 through 2015. Here are some key facts about the current H-1B visa program.

Immigrants made up 17.2% of the total U.S. workforce in 2014, or about 27 million workers. Private households were the biggest immigrant-employing "industry," followed by textile, apparel and leather manufacturers and the farm sector.

There were 8 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. working or looking for work in 2014, making up 5% of the civilian labor force.

Americans’ views about the impact the growing number of immigrants working in the U.S. is having on American workers have softened notably over the past decade.

Worldwide, an estimated $582 billion was sent by migrants to relatives in their home countries in 2015, a 2% decline from 2014.

Four-in-ten immigrants arriving in the U.S. in the past five years had completed at least a bachelor’s degree. In 1970, only 20% of newly arrived immigrants were similarly educated.

Asians, especially Chinese, are responsible for most of the sharp increase in foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities. Foreign students are more likely to study science, engineering and math than U.S. students as a whole, especially at the post-baccalaureate level.