how many immigrants live in USA
(2013) 41.3 million migrants, 13% of population - Mexicans =28%, India and China = 5%
Why is the USA attractive to migrants?
- Has a positive immigration policy and the possibility of obtaining a green card (becoming a permanent resident)
- Employment opportunities for both low and high skilled workers
- wage differentials and opportunity to send back remittances
- Superb educational and healthcare facilities
What is the US immigration policy?
- reunification of families, 480,000 visas available per year for family members to join US residents
- 140,000 visas available for highly skilled migrants
- protection of refugees - 70,000 visas available (changes each year)
- promoting diversity - 50,000 visas given randomly to immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the US - mostly African countries
- temporary visas given as relief from natural disasters
USA –> Mexico (Social and political facts)
Social - In 2013, 11.5 million Mexicans lived in USA whereas 1 million Americans lived in Mexico, each of the countries has its largest diaspora living in the other. hence there is growing social and cultural connectivity
Political - Political power remains imbalanced but increasingly there is more cooperation and coordination involving issues, including border security, the drug trade, human trafficking and environmental issues, they are both working together managing the colorado river-basin and the Sonoran desert
USA –> Mexico (economic facts)
- low skilled Mexicans, many informal contribute to the US economy by working in agriculture, construction and low paid services. Wages are much higher in the USA, 4% of Mexicos GDP is remittances (of which 96% is from USA)
Opportunities created by migration in USA
- immigrants take many of the low paid jobs which are often found unattractive, the main employment of Mexicans was 31% in services, 25% in construction and manufacturing.
- US also aims to get highly skilled immigrants, in 2013, 51% of Chinese and 73% of Indian immigrants worked in the business and science sector.
- Most immigrants are of working age, this is a social benefit where the population is ageing.
- immigrants are consumers themselves which helps the economy.
Challenges created by migration in the USA
- There is 11.5 million unauthorised immigrants living in the USA, the US security is tightening its boarders with more patrol agents.
- there has been uneven progress in the integration of immigrant groups into US society. depending on the size of the groups, language barriers, political precipitation, residential location and social interactions.
- where immigrant populations are concentrated, supply of resources has become an issue, for example meeting the demand for water supply in southern California
