US Flashcards
In 2018, how many immigrants were there living in the USA?
44.7 million, 13.7% of the total population
Who were the main contributors to the immigrant population?
Mexico (25% of all foreign-born residents in the USA), India (6%), China (6%), the Philippines (4%) and Puerto Rico (3.5%)
Reasons for attractiveness of the USA to immigrants
- The positive immigration policy and possibility of obtaining a Green Card (becoming a permanent resident)
- Employment opportunities for both low and high skilled workers
- Wage differentials and the opportunity to send remittances
In 2018, how many US citizens were living abroad?
4.8 million
Where are the main destinations for US citizens emigrating?
Mexico, Canada, UK, Puerto Rico, Germany, Australia, and Israel
Why have highly skilled workers emigrated?
Highly skilled workers in education, IT and communications have migrated to countries with economic, political, and historical ties such as Canada and the UK and other EU countries
What body of law governs current immigration policies?
The Immigration and Naturalisation Act
How in the annual worldwide limit for permanent immigrants allowed by the Immigration and Naturalisation Act?
675,000
How many visas are available per year for family members to join US citizens/legal residents?
480,000
How many visas available are there for admissions of migrants with skills valuable to US economy?
140,000
For protecting refugees, how many admissions were there in 2018?
The ceiling was 45,000 apportioned by major world region
How many visas do the Diversity Immigrant Program make available annually?
50,000, drawn by random selection of individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the USA
Humanitarian relief visas
Temporary visas are available each year for relief from natural disasters or ongoing armed conflict
Interdependence with countries linked to the USA by migration: In 2018 how many Mexicans lived in the USA?
over 38.5 million
Interdependence with countries linked to the USA by migration: How many Americans lived in Mexico according to the 2010 census?
738,100
Interdependence with countries linked to the USA by migration: How do low-skilled Mexicans contribute to the US economy?
By working in agriculture, construction, and low-paid services. Wages are much higher than in Mexico, providing opportunities for remittances
Interdependence with countries linked to the USA by migration: How much did remittances sent (via formal channels) to Mexico amount to?
US$25.2 billion in 2015, 2.2% of Mexico’s GDP
Interdependence with countries linked to the USA by migration: since the formation of NAFTA what has been going well?
NAFTA stands for The North American Free Trade Agreement, encouraging trilateral trade between the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Bilateral trade between Mexico and the USA has grown significantly since the formation of NAFTA. Reciprocal merchandise trade alone accounts for US$1.4 billion per day
Interdependence with countries linked to the USA by migration: Political power relations
Remain imbalanced but increasingly there has been co-ordination and co-operation over issues in common. These include border security, the drug trade, human trafficking, and environmental issues such as water scarcity. There is joint management of the Colorado River Basin, and the ecology of the Sonoran desert
In 2018 what were the main employments for immigrants from China and India?
Business and science (54% for China and 76% for India)
Young working migrants
Most immigrants to the USA are in the young working age groups. This is of economic (e.g. contributing to the tax base) and social benefits in a country where crude birth rate has declined and population is ageing
An estimate of how many unauthorised immigrants live in the USA?
10.9 million (4.9 million Mexican’s)
What bill was passed by congress in 2015?
New immigration bills strengthening the legal mechanisms for Refugee Security Screening, and Counter Terrorism
Intergration
Ha been uneven in progress due to the size of different immigrant groups and factors such as language, socio-economic attainment, political participation, residential location and social interactions. The size of the unauthorised population is also a barrier to social cohesion and full economic and political integration
Demand and supply strains
Where immigrant populations are particularly concentrated and numerous, supply of resources and services has become an issue, for example, adding to demand for water supply in southern California
