KQ3: USA case study

Question 1

How many immigrants were living in the USA in 2018?

Answer 1

44.7 million, 13.7% of the total population

Question 2

Who were the top 5 contributors to USAs immigrant population?

Answer 2

1. Mexico- 25%
2. India and china-both 6%
3. Philippines (4%)
4. Puerto Rico (3.5%)

Question 3

Give 5 reasons why immigrants are attracted to the USA

Answer 3

1. Positive immigration policy and possibility of obtaining a green card
2. Importance of family reunification within the immigration policy
3. Employment opportunities for both high and low skilled workers
4. Better education, around 28% of visas in 2015 were for education
5. Better standard of living [ HDI=0.921]

Question 4

What is the USAs impact on global migration system?

Answer 4

Major influence and it drives the GMS

Question 5

What are the patterns of emigration in the USA?

Answer 5

1. USA has a net migration gain
2. As of 2018, there were 4.8 million US citizens living abroad
3. Main destinations were Canada, UK, Puerto Rico, Germany .etc.
4. These can be explained to some extent by the return of migrants such as Mexicans, Latin American families
5. Also, highly skilled workers in IT, communications and education mainly travelling to countries that USA has strong, economic, social and political links with such as the UK

Question 6

What law currently governs the current immigration policy?

Answer 6

Immigration and Naturalisation Act

Question 7

What is the annual limit to the number of permanent immigrants?

Answer 7

675,000 + separate refugee admissions

Question 8

How many family reunification visas are available?

Answer 8

480,000 visas/year

Question 9

How many visas are available for highly skilled migrants?

Answer 9

around 140,000 with limits for any one country, normally sponsored by an employer

Question 10

What was the ceiling for admissions of refugees in the USA in 2018?

Answer 10

45,000 but was only around 22,405 compared to 54,790 in Germany

Question 11

How does the diversity immigrant Visa Program work?

Answer 11

Makes available 50,000 immigrant visas and given by random selection of individuals from countries that have low rates of immigration in the USA, in 2018, these were mostly African countries

Question 12

How do Mexico and USA have cultural interdependence?

Answer 12

IN 2018, 38.5 million Mexicans lived in the USA, with the 2010 Mexican census revealing that there were around 738,100 Americans in Mexico. Each of these 2 countries has it’s largest Diaspora living in the other, with growing networks allowing for social and cultural connectivity.

Question 13

How much of the USAs GDP comes from Agriculture?

Answer 13

5.4% as of 2021

Question 14

How do low skilled Mexican migrants benefit the US and Mexican economy?

Answer 14

Low skilled Mexican migrants work in agriculture, construction .etc. These often deemed undesirable and help increase GDP but pay Mexican significantly higher wages, these can be returned to Mexico as remittances and in 2015, through formal channels amounted to US$25.2 billion which is 2.2% of Mexico’s GDP

Question 15

How has trade benefited both USA and Mexico?

Answer 15

Formation of NAFTA has meant that bilateral trade between the 2 countries has grown significantly. Reciprocal merchandise trade alone accounts for US$1.4 billion/day on average. Mexican industry has benefited, with increased FDI from USA in the aerospace and IT sectors

Question 16

How are USA and Mexico politically interdependent?

Answer 16

Political Power relations remain imbalanced (particularly under the Trump presidency) but there has been joint co-operation and coordination of common issues, including drug trade, border security, human trafficking as well as environmental issues. Such as water scarcity, with joint management of the Colorado Basin and ecology of the Sonoron desert

Question 17

How are low skilled migrants an opportunity to USA?

Answer 17

Many low skilled Mexican migrants take on jobs that native-born Americans deem undesirable. In 2018 the main employment for Mexicans was services (29%) production and manufacturing being 21%. This makes signficant contributions to the GDP and US economic growth

Question 18

How do highly skilled workers benefit the usa?

Answer 18

Highly skilled migrants or ‘Persons of extraordinary ability’ are encouraged including researchers, people in educations, arts and athletics. In 2018 the main employment of people from China (54%) and India (76%) was in science and business

Question 19

Many migrants are young, how is this of social and economic benefit?

Answer 19

Economic because they contribute to the tax base. They also are consumers themselves and allow for job creation and business start-ups. Social where they can help balance out the age structure in a country where crude birth rates seem to be declining.

Question 20

What has the USA done to tackle the number of illegal migrants?

Answer 20

An estimated 10.9 million (4.9 million Mexicans) live in the US. Many migrants use Mexico as a transit nation. To combat this, US department of homeland security has had to tighten it’s southern maritime, southern land and western coast with border patrol agents. This requires significant amount of investment

Question 21

How has their been social tensions?

Answer 21

There has been uneven integration of immigrants into the US society. This depends on the size of immigrants population, political participation, residential location and language barriers. The unauthorised population have also increased social tensions and limited full social cohesion, preventing full economic and political participation

Question 22

How are diasporas impacting Southern California?

Answer 22

supply of resources and services have become an issue, for example demand of water supply in Southern California