Introduction

The U.S. has been open for immigration for a long time. Immigration has expanded the economic opportunities, enriched the culture, and enhanced the influence of the U.S. in the world. Immigrants from different countries integrate into American society and become a part of their culture. Moreover, the immigrants with their skills in different fields complement the natives increase the productivity in different fields through their innovations and entrepreneurship.

It is a well-known fact that the U.S. is a nation for immigrants. Most of the Americans are descended from immigrants or immigrated themselves in the colonial era from Germany and England. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the immigrants came from Eastern Europe, Ireland, and Scandinavia.

In recent decades, most Americans are immigrants from Asia or Latin America.

Moreover, one out of four people residing in the U.S. is a first or second-generation immigrant. Immigration in the U.S. enriches it economically, socially, and culturally as a diversity of people reside here.

The Immigration Law

The immigration Law governs immigration in the U.S. This law is established by the federal government that determines who is allowed to enter the country and how long. The national laws concerning the immigration of citizens of the country are regulated by International law.

The four types of immigration status that exist in the U.S. are:

The U.S. Citizens

U.S. citizens are those people who are either born in the U.S. or those, who by the act of naturalization became permanent residents. Naturalization is a legal process where after three or five years, the non-citizen becomes permanent residents by a legal process. U.S. citizens can never be deported until and unless they committed fraud. They can work legally and receive public benefits.

Permanent or Conditional Residents

Permanent Residents or Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) are those who hold a “green card.” A green card holder is a lawful permanent resident who gets authorization to work and live in the United States. The green card is proof that the person has permanent status. The green card can be obtained in different ways, either by being sponsored by a family member or a U.S. employer.

Those who have been married for less than two years before they obtained their green card are conditional residents. The conditional residency requires both spouses to jointly file to remove the condition within two years of receiving the green card. Otherwise, the green card terminates, and the partners can face deportation.

Non-Immigrants

The non-immigrants are those who are residing in the country legally but temporarily. For example, students and fiancées with F-1 Visa, business tourists with B1/B2 visas, or individuals who are granted temporary protected status are non-immigrants. Basically, the recipients holding these visas don’t intend to immigrate but reside for a temporary purpose. If an individual under this category has a fraudulent application or overstays or violates the terms of visa, then the legal status can change to undocumented.

Undocumented

The undocumented category includes those people who are in the country illegally or without any permission. It means they haven’t obtained permission to live in the U.S. They are not authorized to work and get no access to public benefits like driver’s license or health care. The person also has a risk of being deported as the deportation proceeding can start against them anytime. There are two conditions when a person becomes undocumented:

• When the individual overstays a legal temporary visa
• When the individual enters the U.S. without going through a port of entry.

Benefits of Immigration for America

There are many reasons why immigrants come to reside in the United States. The two prominent reasons are freedom and opportunities. They come for a better life and better work. Also, they get many benefits by shifting to the U.S. But it’s not just the immigrants who get the benefits. The U.S.  also has many benefits for immigrants. Let us check out these benefits.

• Boosts America’s Economic Growth

Immigrants are strengthening the U.S. economy by filling out key job positions in various U.S. industries, creating new product developments, filing patents, starting new businesses. The immigrants boost the growth of the economy and increase the productivity of American workers by offering their skills. They work in various sectors and expand the economy. Moreover, they attract investments and create new employment opportunities for natives. Even according to a study by International Monetary Fund, immigration increases GDP per capita in advanced economies.

• Immigrants Encourage Entrepreneurship

Most of the immigrants stay in America for the purpose of starting a new business. The better work opportunities and market lead them to try their luck in business. An immigrant is more likely to start a business in America as compared to a native citizen. According to a survey among the fortune 500 companies, 40% were founded by immigrants. It states well how immigrants encourage entrepreneurship.

• Immigrants Strengthen U.S. Workforce

The U.S workforce includes 17.4 % of immigrants. The immigrants bring new ideas and innovations to America. Also, according to a study, more than half of the high skilled technology entrepreneurs and workers working in Silicon Valley are immigrants or foreign-born. So the immigrants are adding value to their work and, by developing new products and ideas, they strengthen the U.S workforce.

• Immigration Maintains Demography in the U.S.

According to research, the number of U.S.-born parents and workers will decline and narrow down by eight million from 2015 to 2035. So the immigrants are the people who fill the blank spaces. Moreover, If there were no immigrants in the U.S., then it could experience a demographic decline. Without immigrants, the U.S. economy would lose its leadership role and dynamism in the global economy.

Conclusion

These immigrants embrace America’s culture of opportunities and freedom. The immigrants are assimilating into American society, and they are adopting the American culture and values. Immigration is what makes America dynamic. The U.S. immigration policy should progress more and welcome such immigrants to be a part of the U.S. economy to make it stronger.