Immigration Facts at a Glance

 • Legal immigration in 2006 (1,266,264) was significantly higher than in 2003 (705,827).

 • 31% of all immigrants were born in North America (14% in Mexico) and 35.7% were born in Asia.

 • 64% of all immigrants intended to reside in six states: California, New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Illinois.

 • In 2006, the median age of the immigrant population was 31 years old, were made up of 56% women, and 58% were married.

 • Refugee arrivals decreased by 23% from 53,738 in 2005 to 41,150 in 2006.

 • USCIS Asylum Officers granted asylum to 26,113 in 2006, an increase from 25,160 in 2005.

 • Total nonimmigrant admissions in 2006 was 33.7 million. Of that population, half were from four countries: the United Kingdom, 15%; Mexico, 18%; Japan, 13%; and Germany, 5.1%.

 • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) naturalized 705,589 persons in fiscal year 2006. The largest populations came from Mexico, India, Philippines, China and Vietnam.

 • California was the intended residence of 17% of persons naturalized and Florida was second with 15%.

 • The number of deportable aliens located during 2006 declined slightly from 2005 from 1,291,142 to 1,206,457.

 • The number of naturalized applications increased by 130,000 in 2006.

 • In 2006, the median time between the date of legal immigration and the date of naturalization was 7 years.