This is an automatically generated report on immigration from Costa Rica to the United States of America using data from the US State Department and the US Department of Homeland Security.
For Fiscal Year 2021 there were 27,024 nonimmigrant visas issued for Costa Rica, compared to a global average of 13,960 nonimmigrant visas issued per country. This represents a -31% change from the previous fiscal year.
| Visa | FY 2021 | FY2020 | % Change | FY2016 | 2021-2016 % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business visitor or tourist (B1/B2) | 24,747 | 36,800 | -32.8% | 71,710 | -65.5% |
| Student (F1) | 489 | 244 | 100.4% | 546 | -10.4% |
| Temporary agricultural worker (H2A) | 296 | 243 | 21.8% | 116 | 155.2% |
| Temporary worker performing other services or labor of a temporary or seasonal nature (H2B) | 204 | 212 | -3.8% | 290 | -29.7% |
| Exchange Visitor (J1) | 177 | 949 | -81.3% | 609 | -70.9% |
| Training in a program not primarily for employment (H3) | 160 | 49 | 226.5% | 4 | 3900% |
| Transiting the United States (C1/D) | 138 | 96 | 43.8% | 213 | -35.2% |
| Business visitor or domestic employee (B1) | 96 | 12 | 700% | 15 | 540% |
| Employee of a designated international organization or NATO (G4) | 91 | 74 | 23% | 124 | -26.6% |
| Diplomat or foreign government official (A2) | 84 | 87 | -3.4% | 212 | -60.4% |
From 2022-07-01 to 2021-08-01 there were 777 immigrant visas issued for Costa Rica compared to a global average of 2,409 immigrant visas per country over the same time period.
| Visa | Total Visas Issued |
|---|---|
| Family of Lawful Permanent Resident (FX) | 154 |
| Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (IR1) | 152 |
| Unmarried children of IR1 Visa Holders (IR2) | 117 |
| Parents of US Citizen (IR5) | 99 |
| Siblings of US citizens and/or their children and spouses (F4) | 57 |
| Unmarried sons and daughters of US Citizens and their children (F1) | 50 |
| Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (CR1) | 36 |
| Certain Family Members of Lawful Permanent Residents (F2B) | 25 |
| Married children of US citizens and their spouses and their children (F3) | 23 |
| Professionals Holding Advanced Degrees and Persons of Exceptional Ability (E2) | 12 |
For Fiscal Year 2020, 1,658 people from Costa Rica were granted permanent residence in the US, also known as a “green card”.
| Admission Class | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens | 1,134 |
| Employment-based preferences | 342 |
| Family-sponsored preferences | 126 |
| Refugees and asylees | 37 |
| Other | 16 |
| Diversity | 3 |
| US State | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| Florida | 268 |
| New Jersey | 233 |
| California | 169 |
| Texas | 144 |
| New York | 103 |
| North Carolina | 75 |
| Pennsylvania | 55 |
| Georgia | 48 |
| Massachusetts | 44 |
| South Carolina | 35 |
| Metro Area | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 294 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 134 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 59 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 49 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 47 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 39 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 39 |
| Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 39 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 33 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 32 |
Moving on the refugees and asylees (asylum seekers), in FY 2020 there were new refugee arrivals and new asylees. The primary difference between refugees and asylees is that refugees are not currently in the US while asylees are either already in the US or at a point of entry. Among asylees, were affirmative asylees, who had proactively applied for asylum, and were defensive asylees, meaning they are currently in removal proceedings in an immigration court.
Sometimes immigrants, legal or otherwise, must be removed from their host country. In FY 2020, 300 people from Costa Rica were determined inadmissible, meaning they were not approved to enter the US. A further 152 were apprehended within the US on suspicion of being there illegally, of which 60 were removed for non-criminal charges and 188 were removed on criminal charges, with the remainder either released on still awaiting a final decision.