Nearly 630K Foreign Nationals Over-stayed Visas in 2016, Says Report

Almost 630,000 foreign nationals over-stayed their visas and Green Cards in Fiscal Year 2016.

In a new report by Pew Research Center, of the 50 million foreign nationals who arrived on temporary visas and Green Cards last fiscal year, an estimated 629,000 have yet to leave the United States, despite immigration law mandating their self-deportation.

An estimated 545,000 of those visa over-stays were still illegally in the U.S. in January 2017.

Although foreign nationals who crossed through the U.S.’s borders were not included in the total of visa over-stays, the report did include roughly 96 percent of those who came to the U.S. by air and sea.

In 2016, nearly 42,500 foreign nationals who came to the U.S. on student visas refused to leave when they were supposed to. Another 33,021 foreign guest workers who came to the U.S. for work also did not leave after their visa date expired.

Additionally, a whopping 553,285 foreign nationals on tourist and business visas did not leave the U.S. after their visa expired, making up the vast majority of those who are now considered illegal aliens.

The largest group of visa over-stays came from Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, and India. Nearly 119,500 Canadians did not leave the U.S. when they were supposed to, while nearly 47,000 Mexicans and roughly 39,000 Brazilians over-stayed in 2016.

Nearly 25,000 Indian nationals, who primarily come to the U.S. on the H-1B foreign guest worker visa, over-stayed as well.

Between Fiscal Years 2015 and 2016, the number of foreign nationals who over-stayed rose from all parts of the world. For tourist and business visa-holders alone, those who overstayed increased by about 15 percent.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.