Where Do K‑1 Visa Holders Come From?
Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik were killed last week in a gun battle with police after they committed a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. Malik entered the U.S. on a K-1 visa, known as the fiancé visa, accompanied by Farook. Their attack is the first perpetrated by somebody on the K-1 visa - igniting a debate over increasing visa security.
The government issued approximately 262,162 K-1 visas from 2005 to 2013 – 3177 or 1.21 percent of the total to Pakistani citizens.
Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) SECURE Act identifies 34 countries as particularly terror-prone. There were 32,363 K-1 visa, 12.34 percent of the total, issued to citizens from those countries from 2005 to 2013.
The top ten countries for sending fiancés are the Philippines (17.34%), China (6.45%), Vietnam (5.56%), Mexico (4.99%), Colombia (3.77%), Russia (3.14%), Dominican Republic (3.12%), United Kingdom (3.12%), Thailand (2.72%), and Canada (2.67%). Those top ten countries are responsible for 52.77 percent of all K-1 visas issued from 2005 to 2013. Russia is the only country in the top ten that Senator Paul considers a risk. Pakistan is number 23.
K-1 Visa Entrants, Country of Citizenship
|
|
2005-2013
|
|
|
Total
|
262,162
|
99.90%
|
|
Afghanistan
|
1,482
|
0.57%
|
|
Albania
|
468
|
0.18%
|
|
Algeria
|
309
|
0.12%
|
|
Andorra
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Angola
|
14
|
0.01%
|
|
Antigua and Barbuda
|
22
|
0.01%
|
|
Argentina
|
886
|
0.34%
|
|
Armenia
|
789
|
0.30%
|
|
Australia
|
1,993
|
0.76%
|
|
Austria
|
152
|
0.06%
|
|
Azerbaijan
|
152
|
0.06%
|
|
Bahamas
|
75
|
0.03%
|
|
Bahrain
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Bangladesh
|
143
|
0.05%
|
|
Barbados
|
42
|
0.02%
|
|
Belarus
|
865
|
0.33%
|
|
Belgium
|
242
|
0.09%
|
|
Belize
|
89
|
0.03%
|
|
Benin
|
36
|
0.01%
|
|
Bhutan
|
4
|
0.00%
|
|
Bolivia
|
367
|
0.14%
|
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
442
|
0.17%
|
|
Botswana
|
12
|
0.00%
|
|
Brazil
|
4,590
|
1.75%
|
|
Brunei
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Bulgaria
|
587
|
0.22%
|
|
Burkina Faso
|
49
|
0.02%
|
|
Burma
|
484
|
0.18%
|
|
Burundi
|
9
|
0.00%
|
|
Cambodia
|
5,744
|
2.19%
|
|
Cameroon
|
482
|
0.18%
|
|
Canada
|
7,004
|
2.67%
|
|
Cape Verde
|
306
|
0.12%
|
|
Central African Republic
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Chad
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Chile
|
611
|
0.23%
|
|
China
|
16,916
|
6.45%
|
|
Colombia
|
9,880
|
3.77%
|
|
Comoros
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Congo (Brazzaville)
|
82
|
0.03%
|
|
Congo (Kinshasa)
|
34
|
0.01%
|
|
Costa Rica
|
691
|
0.26%
|
|
Cote d'Ivoire
|
105
|
0.04%
|
|
Croatia
|
182
|
0.07%
|
|
Cuba
|
3,324
|
1.27%
|
|
Cyprus
|
3
|
0.00%
|
|
Czech Republic
|
232
|
0.09%
|
|
Denmark
|
225
|
0.09%
|
|
Djibouti
|
12
|
0.00%
|
|
Dominica
|
113
|
0.04%
|
|
Dominican Republic
|
8,171
|
3.12%
|
|
East Timor
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Ecuador
|
1,383
|
0.53%
|
|
Egypt
|
1,337
|
0.51%
|
|
El Salvador
|
1,128
|
0.43%
|
|
Equatorial Guinea
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Eritrea
|
300
|
0.11%
|
|
Estonia
|
80
|
0.03%
|
|
Ethiopia
|
2,791
|
1.06%
|
|
Fiji
|
94
|
0.04%
|
|
Finland
|
213
|
0.08%
|
|
France
|
1,267
|
0.48%
|
|
Gabon
|
5
|
0.00%
|
|
Gambia
|
165
|
0.06%
|
|
Georgia
|
166
|
0.06%
|
|
Germany
|
2,619
|
1.00%
|
|
Ghana
|
2,150
|
0.82%
|
|
Greece
|
156
|
0.06%
|
|
Grenada
|
49
|
0.02%
|
|
Guatemala
|
785
|
0.30%
|
|
Guinea
|
184
|
0.07%
|
|
Guinea-Bissau
|
4
|
0.00%
|
|
Guyana
|
667
|
0.25%
|
|
Haiti
|
4,502
|
1.72%
|
|
Holy See
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Honduras
|
891
|
0.34%
|
|
Hungary
|
276
|
0.11%
|
|
Iceland
|
45
|
0.02%
|
|
India
|
6,690
|
2.55%
|
|
Indonesia
|
1,246
|
0.48%
|
|
Iran
|
3,280
|
1.25%
|
|
Iraq
|
1,143
|
0.44%
|
|
Ireland
|
730
|
0.28%
|
|
Israel
|
451
|
0.17%
|
|
Italy
|
738
|
0.28%
|
|
Jamaica
|
2,811
|
1.07%
|
|
Japan
|
3,630
|
1.38%
|
|
Jordan
|
673
|
0.26%
|
|
Kazakhstan
|
405
|
0.15%
|
|
Kenya
|
652
|
0.25%
|
|
Kiribati
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Korea, North
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Korea, South
|
2,706
|
1.03%
|
|
Kuwait
|
16
|
0.01%
|
|
Kyrgyzstan
|
252
|
0.10%
|
|
Laos
|
3,204
|
1.22%
|
|
Latvia
|
177
|
0.07%
|
|
Lebanon
|
1,288
|
0.49%
|
|
Lesotho
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Liberia
|
355
|
0.14%
|
|
Libya
|
122
|
0.05%
|
|
Liechtenstein
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Lithuania
|
224
|
0.09%
|
|
Luxembourg
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Macedonia
|
275
|
0.10%
|
|
Madagascar
|
35
|
0.01%
|
|
Malawi
|
12
|
0.00%
|
|
Malaysia
|
447
|
0.17%
|
|
Maldives
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Mali
|
81
|
0.03%
|
|
Malta
|
8
|
0.00%
|
|
Marshall Islands
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Mauritania
|
5
|
0.00%
|
|
Mauritius
|
15
|
0.01%
|
|
Mexico
|
13,077
|
4.99%
|
|
Micronesia, Federated States of
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Moldova
|
473
|
0.18%
|
|
Monaco
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Mongolia
|
107
|
0.04%
|
|
Morocco
|
1,798
|
0.69%
|
|
Mozambique
|
20
|
0.01%
|
|
Namibia
|
8
|
0.00%
|
|
Nauru
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Nepal
|
409
|
0.16%
|
|
Netherlands
|
754
|
0.29%
|
|
New Zealand
|
506
|
0.19%
|
|
Nicaragua
|
806
|
0.31%
|
|
Niger
|
64
|
0.02%
|
|
Nigeria
|
4,900
|
1.87%
|
|
Norway
|
234
|
0.09%
|
|
Oman
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Pakistan
|
3,177
|
1.21%
|
|
Palau
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Panama
|
430
|
0.16%
|
|
Papua New Guinea
|
3
|
0.00%
|
|
Paraguay
|
147
|
0.06%
|
|
Peru
|
4,017
|
1.53%
|
|
Philippines
|
45,468
|
17.34%
|
|
Poland
|
1,368
|
0.52%
|
|
Portugal
|
176
|
0.07%
|
|
Qatar
|
3
|
0.00%
|
|
Romania
|
1,880
|
0.72%
|
|
Russia
|
8,231
|
3.14%
|
|
Rwanda
|
63
|
0.02%
|
|
Saint Kitts and Nevis
|
12
|
0.00%
|
|
Saint Lucia
|
50
|
0.02%
|
|
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
|
42
|
0.02%
|
|
Samoa
|
9
|
0.00%
|
|
San Marino
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Sao Tome and Principe
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Saudi Arabia
|
110
|
0.04%
|
|
Senegal
|
278
|
0.11%
|
|
Serbia and Montenegro
|
56
|
0.02%
|
|
Seychelles
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Sierra Leone
|
567
|
0.22%
|
|
Singapore
|
263
|
0.10%
|
|
Slovakia
|
196
|
0.07%
|
|
Slovenia
|
27
|
0.01%
|
|
Solomon Islands
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Somalia
|
162
|
0.06%
|
|
South Africa
|
677
|
0.26%
|
|
Spain
|
616
|
0.23%
|
|
Sri Lanka
|
171
|
0.07%
|
|
Sudan
|
146
|
0.06%
|
|
Suriname
|
11
|
0.00%
|
|
Swaziland
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Sweden
|
539
|
0.21%
|
|
Switzerland
|
223
|
0.09%
|
|
Syria
|
1,237
|
0.47%
|
|
Taiwan
|
907
|
0.35%
|
|
Tajikistan
|
39
|
0.01%
|
|
Tanzania
|
143
|
0.05%
|
|
Thailand
|
7,142
|
2.72%
|
|
Togo
|
152
|
0.06%
|
|
Tonga
|
64
|
0.02%
|
|
Trinidad and Tobago
|
383
|
0.15%
|
|
Tunisia
|
142
|
0.05%
|
|
Turkey
|
843
|
0.32%
|
|
Turkmenistan
|
31
|
0.01%
|
|
Tuvalu
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Uganda
|
292
|
0.11%
|
|
Ukraine
|
6,940
|
2.65%
|
|
United Arab Emirates
|
15
|
0.01%
|
|
United Kingdom
|
7,898
|
3.01%
|
|
Uruguay
|
128
|
0.05%
|
|
Uzbekistan
|
502
|
0.19%
|
|
Vanuatu
|
0
|
0.00%
|
|
Venezuela
|
998
|
0.38%
|
|
Vietnam
|
14,565
|
5.56%
|
|
Yemen
|
76
|
0.03%
|
|
Zambia
|
57
|
0.02%
|
|
Zimbabwe
|
66
|
0.03%
|
|
Unknown/Other
|
5,661
|
2.16%
|
Source: Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, Supplemental Table 1
