Effects Of Immigration

Immigration according to Merriam Webster dictionary is the act of entering a country in which one is not a native for permanent residence. With the exception of the American Indians, people living in America can trace their ancestry roots to a country outside of United States of America. According to Alan Allport, The United States has been a land of immigration for the past 200 years (Allport, 2005). Most of the original immigrants came from Europe especially the British Isles, the African slaves who were brought in to work the plantations and the Hispanic migrants from central and southern Americas. However, over the years, rules and regulations have been introduced to control the number of immigrants entering America. "A broad range of circumstances including famine, depression, war, technological innovation and industrialization influenced the course of immigration policy and immigration to the United States (Yans-Mclaughlin & Lightman, 1997). In the wake of 9/11, the Americans are now even the more cautious about whom they let into their country.

TYPES OF IMMIGRANTS/VISAS

Visas have been introduced and most non-American citizens need to acquire one before setting foot on American soil. There are 2 types of visas known as immigrant and non -immigrant visa. Immigrant visas are given to people who qualify to come and stay in the United States and make it their home. This kind of visa is given to people who qualify under various categories including but not limited to; being a close relative of a citizen or by being selected randomly through the Diversity Visa Lottery. This is a lottery now commonly known as the 'green card lottery' that was introduced by the US government to give to individuals from certain nationalities that are under-represented in America a chance to legally live and work in the US. Interested parties send their application electronically and if selected they are required to prove that they will not be a public charge and will contribute to America's economic development then they are granted. It is a one-time only opportunity and hence the name lottery.

Non-immigrants visa on the other hand is given to individuals who want to enter the USA on a temporary basis. The most common reasons for such temporary visits are; tourism, study and work on a temporary assignment. The visa has several restrictions. Visitors and students are not allowed to work at all. Those who are sponsored by American employers cannot work for any other employer therefore changing jobs is difficult. These visa holders are expected to return to their countries upon finishing their mission in America. If they need to apply for the immigrant visa, then they are required to do so in their country of origin. However, there are people who do not return after their papers expire and hence end up living here as illegal immigrants. The ministry of Ethnic facts reports that:

"Nearly 70,000 foreigners arrive in the United States every day. Most of these travelers are visitors, not settlers. More than 60,000 are tourists, business people, students, or foreign workers who are welcomed at airports and border crossings. About 2,200 daily arrivals are immigrants or refugees who have been invited to become permanent residents of the United States. Finally, about 5,000 foreigners make unauthorized entries each day. About 4,000 of them are apprehended just after they cross the U.S.-Mexico border. But nearly 1,000 elude detection, or slip from legal to illegal status by violating the terms of their visas. Many will remain, while others will return to their home countries." (Ethinic, 2005)

IS THE U.S. ECONOMY HURT BY IMMIGRATION?

"In March 2003, the civilian non-institutionalized population in the United States included 33.5 million foreign born, representing 11.7% of the U.S. population."(U.S. Census Bureau, 2004). Contrary to the critic's belief that immigration harms the U.S. economy, figures from the U.S. statistics show that 92.5% of the immigrants are employed and only 7.5% are unemployed. "The pace of recent U.S. economic growth would have been impossible without immigration. Since 1990, immigrants have contributed to job growth in three main ways: They fill an increasing share of jobs overall, they take jobs in labor-scarce regions, and they fill the types of jobs native workers often shun." (Southwest Economy, 2003). The figures from the U.S. Census Bureau therefore demonstrate that most immigrants are highly educated, motivated and skilled to contribute positively to America's economy.

Figure 1. Employment statistics of immigrants into the US in 2003.

From the U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. (2004, August). Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2003.

Immigrants such as Jenny Ming, CEO of the clothing retailer Old Navy and Andrew Grove, the founder of Intel Corporation are examples of the positive contribution immigrants have on America (Allport, 2005) The creation and operation of these and more companies founded or led by immigrants benefit America's economy through the revenue generated and also offers employment opportunities to thousands of people in the U.S.

CURRENT IMMIGRANTS AND OVERPOPULATION

Critics argue that if the current trends of immigrants flow continues the U.S. will be overpopulated. However, we have to ask ourselves; what determines how densely populated an area is? If for example it in comparison: NY is more densely populated than Montana. In comparing countries with regards to the country's size, the Unite Kingdom is way more densely populated than America. In fact most countries around the world are more populated than the U.S. (See graph below)There is therefore no absolute measure of overpopulation. As one environmentalist pointed in 1990 "The world's 5.3 billion inhabitants could fit on the island of Tasmania if they were prepared to have a density equivalent to that of downtown Manhattan and the technology to service such a residential mega-metropolis." (Allport, 2005)

Figure 2. Comparison of U.S population per sq mile to other countries.

Note. From the U.S. Census Bureau. Population Division International Database.

Allport, A. (2005) Immigration Policy (p12). Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House Publishers.

Ethnic Harvest Ministry Resources. U.S Immigration facts (2005) http://www.ethnicharvest.org/mission/immigratnfacts.htm