Statistics on H4 Visa
July 21st, 2009 | by Ridhima Suri |Updated Dec 2010: Please post any H4 visa related questions on this forum: http://h4-visa.com/
Statistics on H4 Visas
I pulled up some statistics from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State. These reflect the total number of H1 and H4 non immigrant issued visas. Interestingly there were 90 different types of Non Immigrant Visas. Through my myopic vision I thought there are a few H, J, E, K type visas. That was certainly not the case and there were 90 of them in the table I referred.
If we focus on the figures pertaining to H1B and H4 visas, the following breakdown is interesting.
- There were no H1 or H1 A visas issued during the period of 2004-2008.
- The maximum H1 B visas issued during this period were 154,053 in 2007.
- In the same year the number of H4 (dependent visas for spouse or child) issued were 86,219. This was the highest figure in the 2004-2008.
- The number of H4 visas positively correlates to the number of H1 visas issued in a particular year.
- The difference in the number of H1 visas and H4 visas issued can be attributed to a number of reasons. While the non married status of H1 visa holders is the first reason, many times couples are unable to live with each other due to visa constrictions or due to personal and professional reasons.
- The number of H1 B visas issued during the period are as follows. In 2004 138,965 visas were issued. In 2005 the number declined to 124,099 visas. In 2006 135, 421 visas were issued. The number of visas issued in 2007 and 2008 were 154, 053 and 129,464.
- The number of H-4 (Spouse or child of H-1A/B/B1/C, H-2A/B/R, or H-3) issued in
2004 was 83,128
2005 was 70,266
2006 was 74,326
2007 was 86,219
2008 was 71,018 - If we look at the total number of Non Immigrant Visas issued during the period, almost 20%-25% of the pie is represented by the ‘H’ class visas.
- The Totals for the years 2004-2008 are given below.
2004 5,049,099
2005 5,388,937
2006 5,836,718
2007 6,444,285
2008 6,603,044 - Contrary to the popular belief that there are only a couple of H visas, there are a total of 10 types of visas under the ‘H’ Class excluding H4 visa. The following list shows visas issued to other ‘H’ type of visas. The data has been pulled up from the website of Bureau of Consular Services.
H-1B1 Free Trade Agreement worker (Chile/Singapore)
2004 72
2005 275
2006 440
2007 639
2008 719
H-1C Nurse in health professional shortage area
2004 110
2005 63
2006 8
2007 26
2008 174
H-2 Temporary worker performing services unavailable in U.S. (No visas were issued in this category)
H-2A Temporary worker performing agricultural services
2004 31,774
2005 31,892
2006 37,149
2007 50,791
2008 64,404
H-2B Temporary worker performing other services
2004 76,169
2005 87,492
2006 71,687
2007 60,227
2008 93,250
H-2R Returning H-2B worker
2005 1,643
2006 50,854
2007 69,320
2008 1,054
H-3 Trainee
2004 1,410
2005 1,763
2006 2,369
2007 3,096
2008 3,427
Conclusion
Issuance of visas to individuals of foreign nationalities is based on the immigration policy in the country and the number of visa applications. Last year H1 B visas were issued on the basis of a lottery system as the number of applicants was higher than the quota cap. This year the H1 B quota was not filled at all. The overall business climate is very grim in U.S. and many companies are issuing pink slips like popcorn! This has made the job environment a bit unstable and less attractive to talent outside the country. Hopefully this will change as the economy picks up. So, if you are thinking of applying for the H4 visa, learn about the overall work environment in U.S. and make the right move for yourself. The above figures suggest that a significant number of visas are issued to dependent visa holders each year.
Ref: http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/NIVClassIssued-DetailedFY2004-2008.pdf
Updated Dec 2010: Please post any H4 visa related questions on this forum: http://h4-visa.com/
3 Responses to “Statistics on H4 Visa”
By A on Apr 16, 2010 | Reply
Thanks for this article.
is it possible to complete a gradute or related course in nursing and then expect a job on H1C? do hospitals/employers file for it?
By Anonymous on Apr 17, 2010 | Reply
A,
Yes it is possible. Absolutely but the numbers related to hospitals filing for H1s is not too great..remember such visas are filed for any skillset which can otherwise not be filled up by a local person. I would suggest you talk to people in a similar situation and check out job postings in this category. Hopefully, you will get good pointers.
Good Luck!
IANAL
By Smitha on Jan 28, 2011 | Reply
Can I get a break down of how many of these H4 visas were issued to Indians? Possibly gender and educational breakdown too.
Thanks