In recent months, media attention has focused on international students attending U.S. universities. Questions include the number of international students, their country of origin, and the degree to which they are displacing U.S. students.

The United States is home to more immigrants than any other country in the world. While the U.S. made up just 4 percent of the global population in 2024, it was home to 17 percent of all international migrants.

Across the world, there are more than 100 million people who are refugees - people forcibly displaced because of war, political turmoil, and other hardships. Some of these individuals will come to the United States and request refugee status, enabling them to live and work in America. This status enables individuals to skip to the front of the immigration line, thereby bypassing the complex application process that limits the number of people who can legally enter the U.S. each year.