Each year, between 93% and 98% of temporary visa holder doctorate recipients indicate in the Survey of Earned Doctorates where they intend to live after graduation. The stay rate for this group increased from 55% in 1995 to 75% in 2015. The proportion who intend to return to their country of origin after graduation has declined over time, whereas a relatively stable share of all temporary visa holder doctorates, between 6% and 9% each year, plan to move to a non-U.S. location other than their home country (figure B).
Rates of staying and leaving among temporary visa holder U.S. doctorate recipients: 1995–2015
| Year | Staying in the United States | Returning to home country | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 55.2 | 36.4 | 8.4 |
| 1996 | 60.3 | 32.7 | 7.0 |
| 1997 | 64.2 | 30.0 | 5.9 |
| 1998 | 65.0 | 28.6 | 6.3 |
| 1999 | 66.4 | 26.3 | 7.3 |
| 2000 | 67.1 | 26.1 | 6.9 |
| 2001 | 71.4 | 22.6 | 6.0 |
| 2002 | 69.9 | 23.4 | 6.7 |
| 2003 | 68.4 | 24.6 | 7.0 |
| 2004 | 69.3 | 23.4 | 7.3 |
| 2005 | 72.1 | 21.2 | 6.7 |
| 2006 | 75.3 | 18.5 | 6.3 |
| 2007 | 76.0 | 17.7 | 6.4 |
| 2008 | 76.6 | 16.8 | 6.6 |
| 2009 | 74.0 | 18.3 | 7.7 |
| 2010 | 71.0 | 20.4 | 8.6 |
| 2011 | 71.9 | 20.5 | 7.6 |
| 2012 | 72.3 | 20.2 | 7.5 |
| 2013 | 72.9 | 19.7 | 7.5 |
| 2014 | 73.8 | 18.8 | 7.4 |
| 2015 | 74.8 | 18.8 | 6.4 |
- NOTES: Other includes temporary visa holders going to a foreign country other than their home country after earning a doctorate and those going to (or born in) an unspecified foreign county. Percentages are based on the number of temporary visa holders who reported country of birth and planned postgraduation location.
- SOURCE: Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities 2015. Related detailed data: tables 51, 52, 53.
