ABSTRACT
In the last two decades over 400,000 persons have immigrated to the United States from the FSU under various refugee, parolee and immigration provisions of US immigration law 1 (Table 12.1). * The spurt in immigration during the late 1970s and early 1980s has paled in comparison to the influx which has occurred since the easing of legal restrictions on emigration from the FSU. From 1988 through 1994, nearly 300,000 citizens of the FSU immigrated to the United States. While this is a large number, put in historical perspective, it seems small compared to the wave of immigration from the Russian Empire that brought 3.2 million people to the US during the four decades from 1881 to 1920 (Table 12.2). 2 Soviet Refugee Arrivals and Admissions, Fy 1961-94
|
Year |
US Dept. of Justice (a) |
US Dept. of State (b) |
|---|---|---|
|
1961-69 |
456 |
-- |
|
1970 |
209 |
-- |
|
1971 |
88 |
-- |
|
1972 |
228 |
-- |
|
1973 |
591 |
-- |
|
1974 |
2,221 |
-- |
|
1975 |
3,209 |
6,211 |
|
1976 |
5,882 |
7,450 |
|
TQ 1976 |
1,208 |
-- |
|
1977 |
5,296 |
8,191 |
|
1978 |
9,931 |
10,688 |
|
1979 |
27,135 |
24,449 |
|
1980 |
28,692 |
28,444 |
|
1981 |
11,244 |
13,444 |
|
1982 |
2,838 |
2,756 |
|
1983 |
1,449 |
1,409 |
|
1984 |
791 |
715 |
|
1985 |
674 |
640 |
|
1986 |
833 |
787 |
|
1987 |
3,728 |
3,694 |
|
1988 |
18,880 |
20,421 |
|
1989 |
39,831 |
39,553 |
|
1990 |
53,130 |
50,716 |
|
1991 |
57,587 |
38,661 |
|
1992 |
66,026 |
61,298 |
|
1993 |
51,983 |
48,627 |
|
1994 |
NA |
43,470 |
|
Total |
(1961-93) 393,130 |
(1975-94) 411,624 |
— means no data were reported.
NA means data not available.
Soviet refugee and asylee approvals, fiscal year 1961 to 1993. TQ 1976 means transition quarter when fiscal year was adjusted to start October 1 rather than July 1.
Refugee admissions from the Soviet Union, 1976 to 1994.
Source: US Department of Justice, 1993 Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Washington DC, December 1994. Immigration to the United States From Russia and the Soviet Union, 1821-1993<xref ref-type="fn" rid="tablefn12_2_1"> <sup>(a)</sup> </xref>|
Time Period |
Number of Immigrants |
|---|---|
|
1821-30 |
75 |
|
1831-40 |
277 |
|
1841-50 |
551 |
|
1851-60 |
457 |
|
1861-70 |
2,512 |
|
1871-80 |
39,284 |
|
1881-90 |
213,282 |
|
1891-1900 |
505,290 |
|
1901-10 |
1,597,306 |
|
1911-20 |
921,201 |
|
1921-30 |
61,742 |
|
1931-40 |
1,370 |
|
1941-50 |
571 |
|
1951-60 |
671 |
|
1961-70 |
2,465 |
|
1971-80 |
38,961 |
|
1981-90 |
57,677 |
|
1991-93 |
128,575 |
|
Total |
3,572,267 |
Data refer to country of last permanent residence, except 1980-83 which refer to country of birth, and prior to 1906 which ‘relate to country whence alien came’. The data for 1899 to 1914 also includes Russian-occupied parts of Poland.
Source: US Department of Justice, 1993 Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Washington DC, September 1994.