According to the ministry, the indicators for 2008 significantly exceed the data of previous years. Thus, in 2007, 37 million border crossings were recorded, in 2006 – 33.6 million, in 2005 – 32 million.
It should be noted that border crossing takes into account the fact of entry, not the number of visitors – thus, one person could enter the US more than once. At the same time, statistics include tourists, business travelers, as well as those who came to the United States on a guest visit or for other purposes.
At the same time, over the past year, about 25.5 thousand people did not receive a US visa, and almost 11.7 thousand more were stopped at the border and not allowed to enter the United States. According to Washington ProFile, the reason for this was 'blacklists' – travelers not let into the country had previously been convicted of serious crimes (such as murder or drug trafficking), are suspected of ties with terrorist structures, or had previously violated US visa rules.
Last year, approximately 236.8 thousand of those who arrived did not leave the country within the stated time and likely remained as illegal immigrants. And 54.3 thousand people left the United States on expired visas.