The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its FY 2016 overstay report revealing that 739,478 foreigners who were admitted for temporary stays and were required to depart during the year failed to do so. This was the second overstay report, and it provided more data than the 2015 report although it still does not include overstay data related to travelers arriving by land from Canada or Mexico. The number of overstayers represented about 1.5 percent of all foreign travelers.
The report divides the travelers into several categories:
Category | Due to Leave | Non-Departure Rate |
– Visa waiver countries | 21.6 million | 0.60% |
– Other tourist or business | 13.8 million | 1.90% |
– Canada & Mexico by air | 12.1 million | 1.30% |
– Long-term (e.g. students) | 1.5 million | 2.80% |
– Others | 1.4 million | 2.10% |
These data indicate that the short-term visitors from mostly Western European countries who benefit from being able to enter without visas for tourism or business represent the fewest overstays as well as the greatest number of visitors. On the other hand, the students and others who come for longer stays represent a greater overstay problem. They require a visa regardless of the country. The data in the report identify visitors from several Third World countries as sources of the higher rate of visa violation. Most of the high overstay rates below are for travelers entering with short-term tourism or business visas (B-1/B-2). Omitted are some countries with high overstay rates but with fewer than 1,000 persons who overstayed.
Country | Category | Overstays | Non-Departure Rate |
---|---|---|---|
- Bangladesh | B-1/B-2 | 1,082 | 3.60% |
- Barbados | B-1/B-2 | 1,695 | 2.70% |
- Brazil | Students | 2,881 | 3.10% |
- Burkina F. | B-1/B-2 | 1,173 | 25.50% |
- China | 18,075 | 2.10% | |
- Colombia | B-1/B-2 | 19,466 | 2.10% |
- Colombia | Students | 1,207 | 3.10% |
- Dominican R. | B-1/B-2 | 9,653 | 2.70% |
- Dominican R. | Other visa | 1,140 | 12.10% |
- Egypt | B-1/B-2 | 1,916 | 2.10% |
- El Salvador | B-1/B-2 | 5,079 | 2.60% |
- Georgia | B-1/B-2 | 1,056 | 13.90% |
- Ghana | B-1/B-2 | 1,067 | 4.50% |
- Guatemala | B-1/B-2 | 5,804 | 2.20% |
- Guyana | B-1/B-2 | 1,924 | 8.50% |
- Haiti | B-1/B-2 | 5.669 | 3.90% |
- India | Students | 4,575 | 3.10% |
- Iraq | B-1/B-2 | 1,040 | 10.80% |
- Jamaica | B-1/B-2 | 9,621 | 3.30% |
- Jamaica | Other visa | 2,728 | 6.70% |
- Jordan | B-1/B-2 | 2,528 | 6.00% |
- Korea | Students | 5,111 | 2.10% |
- Lebanon | B-1/B-2 | 1,028 | 2.40% |
- Nicaragua | B-1/B-2 | 1,444 | 2.00% |
- Nigeria | B-1/B-2 | 12,043 | 6.00% |
- Nigeria | Students | 2,094 | 22.70% |
- Pakistan | B-1/B-2 | 2,641 | 2.80% |
- Philippines | Other visa | 6,523 | 24.60% |
- Thailand | B-1/B-2 | 2,122 | 2.30% |
- Thailand | Students | 1,358 | 4.70% |
- Turkey | Students | 1,248 | 2.50% |
- Ukraine | B-1/B-2 | 2,950 | 3.30% |
- Ukraine | Students | 1,203 | 12.90% |
- Venezuela | B-1/B-2 | 23,821 | 4.20% |
- Vietnam | B-1/B-2 | 3,082 | 3.40% |
- Vietnam | Students | 1,860 | 8.20% |