The report, authored by CIS senior fellow David North and obtained in advance by Breitbart News, reveals that the number of visas issued to nonimmigrants such as tourists, students, temporary workers and the like increased from 5.8 million in fiscal year 2009 to 9.9 million in FY 2014. “Although visa overstayers account for 40 to 45 percent of the illegal alien population, it became easier during those years to secure these visas — the percentage of visa denials to all visa decisions dropped from 18.6 percent in FY 2009 to 15.3 percent in FY 2014, according to State Department data,” North writes.