This is an automatically generated report on immigration from Thailand 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 18,687 nonimmigrant visas issued for Thailand, compared to a global average of 13,960 nonimmigrant visas issued per country. This represents a -25% change from the previous fiscal year.
| Visa | FY 2021 | FY2020 | % Change | FY2016 | 2021-2016 % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business visitor or tourist (B1/B2) | 10,112 | 18,286 | -44.7% | 47,382 | -78.7% |
| Exchange Visitor (J1) | 3,293 | 2,542 | 29.5% | 8,124 | -59.5% |
| Student (F1) | 1,805 | 660 | 173.5% | 4,248 | -57.5% |
| Transiting the United States (C1/D) | 1,214 | 1,278 | -5% | 2,195 | -44.7% |
| Fiancé(e) to marry U.S. Citizen & live in U.S. (K1) | 752 | 343 | 119.2% | 640 | 17.5% |
| Diplomat or foreign government official (A2) | 526 | 685 | -23.2% | 1,194 | -55.9% |
| Treaty trader or investor (E2) | 179 | 122 | 46.7% | 598 | -70.1% |
| Children of Fiancé(e) to marry U.S. Citizen & live in U.S. (K2) | 108 | 44 | 145.5% | 86 | 25.6% |
| Business visitor or domestic employee (B1) | 101 | 143 | -29.4% | 337 | -70% |
| Religious worker (R1) | 79 | 28 | 182.1% | 96 | -17.7% |
From 2022-07-01 to 2021-08-01 there were 1,825 immigrant visas issued for Thailand 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) | 360 |
| Unmarried children of IR1 Visa Holders (IR2) | 253 |
| Family of Lawful Permanent Resident (FX) | 171 |
| Parents of US Citizen (IR5) | 170 |
| Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (CR1) | 128 |
| Professionals and Other Workers (E3) | 114 |
| Unmarried sons and daughters of US Citizens and their children (F1) | 100 |
| Professionals and Other Workers (EW) | 97 |
| Returning Resident (SB1) | 95 |
| Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) | 92 |
For Fiscal Year 2020, 4,177 people from Thailand 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 | 2,503 |
| Refugees and asylees | 842 |
| Employment-based preferences | 622 |
| Family-sponsored preferences | 148 |
| Diversity | 38 |
| Other | 24 |
| US State | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| California | 813 |
| New York | 314 |
| Texas | 287 |
| Florida | 212 |
| Minnesota | 205 |
| Washington | 196 |
| Illinois | 180 |
| Virginia | 152 |
| North Carolina | 122 |
| Massachusetts | 117 |
| Metro Area | Total New Residencies Granted |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 340 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 238 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA | 198 |
| Minneapolis-Saint Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 169 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 158 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 141 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 138 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 101 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 97 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 93 |
Moving on the refugees and asylees (asylum seekers), in FY 2020 there were 7 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, 632 people from Thailand were determined inadmissible, meaning they were not approved to enter the US. A further 54 were apprehended within the US on suspicion of being there illegally, of which 8 were removed for non-criminal charges and 96 were removed on criminal charges, with the remainder either released on still awaiting a final decision.