This is an automatically generated report on immigration from Iraq 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 1,490 nonimmigrant visas issued for Iraq, compared to a global average of 13,960 nonimmigrant visas issued per country. This represents a -62% change from the previous fiscal year.
| Visa | FY 2021 | FY2020 | % Change | FY2016 | 2021-2016 % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business visitor or tourist (B1/B2) | 538 | 3,099 | -82.6% | 12,972 | -95.9% |
| Diplomat or foreign government official (A2) | 353 | 286 | 23.4% | 419 | -15.8% |
| Diplomat or foreign government official (A1) | 156 | 83 | 88% | 110 | 41.8% |
| Student (F1) | 111 | 75 | 48% | 393 | -71.8% |
| Fiancé(e) to marry U.S. Citizen & live in U.S. (K1) | 99 | 117 | -15.4% | 195 | -49.2% |
| Employee of a designated international organization or NATO (G1) | 72 | 28 | 157.1% | 82 | -12.2% |
| Exchange Visitor (J1) | 41 | 98 | -58.2% | 521 | -92.1% |
| Employee of a designated international organization or NATO (G2) | 28 | 16 | 75% | 93 | -69.9% |
| Dependents of F1 visa holder (F2) | 24 | 27 | -11.1% | 128 | -81.2% |
| Employee of a designated international organization or NATO (G4) | 18 | 20 | -10% | 38 | -52.6% |
From 2022-07-01 to 2021-08-01 there were 1,595 immigrant visas issued for Iraq 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) | 515 |
| Parents of US Citizen (IR5) | 225 |
| Iraqis and Afghanis Who worked for/on Behalf of the U.S. Government (SQ) | 224 |
| Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) | 208 |
| Family of Lawful Permanent Resident (FX) | 166 |
| Unmarried children of IR1 Visa Holders (IR2) | 61 |
| Married children of US citizens and their spouses and their children (F3) | 51 |
| Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (CR1) | 34 |
| Siblings of US citizens and/or their children and spouses (F4) | 31 |
| Iraqi and Afghan Translators/Interpreters (SI) | 25 |
For Fiscal Year 2020, 2,266 people from Iraq were granted permanent residence in the US, also known as a “green card”.
| Admission Class | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| Refugees and asylees | 922 |
| Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens | 767 |
| Other | 178 |
| Family-sponsored preferences | 175 |
| Diversity | 123 |
| Employment-based preferences | 101 |
| US State | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| Texas | 338 |
| Michigan | 314 |
| California | 306 |
| Illinois | 123 |
| Virginia | 116 |
| Washington | 94 |
| Arizona | 81 |
| Tennessee | 74 |
| Nebraska | 63 |
| Ohio | 61 |
| Metro Area | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 287 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 150 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 124 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 117 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 115 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 81 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 70 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 58 |
| Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 56 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 54 |
Moving on the refugees and asylees (asylum seekers), in FY 2020 there were 541 new refugee arrivals and 278 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, 184 were affirmative asylees, who had proactively applied for asylum, and 94 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, 132 people from Iraq were determined inadmissible, meaning they were not approved to enter the US. A further 117 were apprehended within the US on suspicion of being there illegally, of which 13 were removed for non-criminal charges and 22 were removed on criminal charges, with the remainder either released on still awaiting a final decision.