This is an automatically generated report on immigration from Guatemala 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 19,986 nonimmigrant visas issued for Guatemala, compared to a global average of 13,960 nonimmigrant visas issued per country. This represents a -26% change from the previous fiscal year.
| Visa | FY 2021 | FY2020 | % Change | FY2016 | 2021-2016 % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business visitor or tourist (B1/B2) | 12,542 | 22,113 | -43.3% | 52,326 | -76% |
| Temporary worker performing other services or labor of a temporary or seasonal nature (H2B) | 3,386 | 1,682 | 101.3% | 3,654 | -7.3% |
| Temporary agricultural worker (H2A) | 2,507 | 2,123 | 18.1% | 1,680 | 49.2% |
| Student (F1) | 471 | 162 | 190.7% | 502 | -6.2% |
| Diplomat or foreign government official (A2) | 254 | 188 | 35.1% | 661 | -61.6% |
| Exchange Visitor (J1) | 151 | 122 | 23.8% | 262 | -42.4% |
| Diplomat or foreign government official (A1) | 90 | 56 | 60.7% | 91 | -1.1% |
| Transiting the United States (C1/D) | 77 | 37 | 108.1% | 149 | -48.3% |
| Fiancé(e) to marry U.S. Citizen & live in U.S. (K1) | 77 | 87 | -11.5% | 160 | -51.9% |
| Transiting the United States (C3) | 73 | 76 | -3.9% | 163 | -55.2% |
From 2022-07-01 to 2021-08-01 there were 8,627 immigrant visas issued for Guatemala compared to a global average of 2,409 immigrant visas per country over the same time period.
| Visa | Total Visas Issued |
|---|---|
| Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (IR1) | 2,544 |
| Family of Lawful Permanent Resident (FX) | 2,153 |
| Unmarried children of IR1 Visa Holders (IR2) | 1,168 |
| Parents of US Citizen (IR5) | 905 |
| Unmarried sons and daughters of US Citizens and their children (F1) | 468 |
| Certain Family Members of Lawful Permanent Residents (F2B) | 420 |
| Siblings of US citizens and/or their children and spouses (F4) | 357 |
| Married children of US citizens and their spouses and their children (F3) | 341 |
| Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (CR1) | 121 |
| Professionals and Other Workers (EW) | 53 |
For Fiscal Year 2020, 7,815 people from Guatemala 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 | 3,259 |
| Refugees and asylees | 1,358 |
| Other | 1,261 |
| Family-sponsored preferences | 1,000 |
| Employment-based preferences | 931 |
| Diversity | 6 |
| US State | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| California | 2,490 |
| Florida | 607 |
| New York | 483 |
| Texas | 369 |
| Massachusetts | 321 |
| Maryland | 306 |
| Virginia | 279 |
| New Jersey | 266 |
| Illinois | 194 |
| Georgia | 180 |
| Metro Area | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1,156 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 829 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 616 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 430 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL | 376 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 254 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 204 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 181 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 179 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 174 |
Moving on the refugees and asylees (asylum seekers), in FY 2020 there were 249 new refugee arrivals and NA 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, 441 were affirmative asylees, who had proactively applied for asylum, and 1,435 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, 1,605 people from Guatemala were determined inadmissible, meaning they were not approved to enter the US. A further 61,382 were apprehended within the US on suspicion of being there illegally, of which 17981 were removed for non-criminal charges and 10211 were removed on criminal charges, with the remainder either released on still awaiting a final decision.