I have often wondered what the real number of illegal immigrants really is in the U.S. According to Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in August of 2000, which was just recently absorbed by USCIS, over 7 million illegal aliens were living in the United States, a number that is growing by half a million a year (1). In 2003 in which the INS was still its own organization it was reported that at least 8 million illegal immigrants called the U.S. home. Eight million people, to me that number seem very large but also smaller than I had anticipated. So if you follow the estimates that the INS gave out in 2003 we would in 2008 have close to 11 million illegal immigrants in the continental U.S. and mind you that number is for illegals only. In the 1990's the INS issues 1.5 million green cards to illegal aliens. The proportion of the illegal immigrants who are Mexican has increased to nearly 70 percent from less than 60 percent, the INS said (3) . If you are curious about the state statistic break down of illegal immigrants just click the link. The two main things which attract immigrants (legal and illegal) are jobs and family. The typical Mexican worker earns one-tenth that of an American, and numerous American businesses are willing to hire cheap, compliant labor from abroad. Our country lacks a viable system to verify new hires' work eligibility which is why millions of immigrants are able to work in the U.S. In addition, communities of recently arrived legal immigrants help create immigration networks used by illegal aliens and serve as protection and shelter for illegal immigration, providing jobs, housing, and entree to America for illegals, there relatives and fellow countrymen(4).


References Cited


1)http://www.cis.org/topics/illegalimmigration.html

2)http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

3)http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/01/31/illegal.immigration/

4)http://www.cis.org/topics/illegalimmigration.html

The Process.......

Well what do you say we jump head first into "The Process" of obtaining a green card. First of all, a green card is a Permanent Visa to USA. A green card gives you the status of permanent resident with legal rights to work in United States. Once you have a green card you may apply for USA citizenship. The green card does not affect your present citizenship. An immigrant usually has to go through a multi-step process to get the green card(1), which entitles him or her to live and work permanently in the United States. The whole process may take several years depending on the type of application and the country of origin. In the first step, USCIS approves the immigrant petition by a qualifying relative, an employer, or rare cases such as with an investor visa, the applicant. If a sibling is applying, they must have the same parents as the applicant. Second, unless the applicant is an "immediate relative", an immigrant visa number through the State Department must be available. This number might not be immediately available even if the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) approves the petition because the amount of immigrant visa numbers is limited every year. There are also certain additional limitations by country, most immigrants will be placed on lengthy waiting lists. Those immigrants who are immediate relatives are not subjected to the limited quotas of immigrant visas and may proceed to the next step immediately. Immediate relatives are defined as spouses and children under 21 years of age of U.S. citizens, and parents of a U.S. citizen who is 21 years of age or over. Finally, when an immigrant visa number is available, the applicant must apply with USCIS to adjust their current status to permanent resident status. If the applicant is outside the U.S., they have to apply for an immigrant visa at the nearest U.S. consulate before being allowed to come to the U.S.(2) When most people here about immigration services they think of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and INS used to issue green cards but that agency was absorbed by USCIS.


BB


References Cited

(1) http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm/immigrant_visas/9imm_process.htm
(2) http://www.uscis.gov

How Do Illegal Immigrants Enter the Country...?

Everybody in the U.S. knows that illegal immigrants enter the country everyday. Do you ever wonder why or better yet how they enter the U.S. illegally? First, I would like to talk about how immigrants enter the country. Immigrants from nations that do not have automatic visa agreements, or who do not qualify for a visa, often cross the borders illegally in some areas like the U.S.-Mexico border or the U.S.-Canadian border. The U.S.-Mexican border is the most frequently crossed international border in the world, with some 350 million people crossing (legally) every year (Borders and Law Enforcement. US Embassy Mexico) . The U.S. Mexican border's total length is 1,951 miles. There are countless rivers and unpatrolable terrain along the massive 1,951 miles of border. Another border is the U.S.-Canadian border. Canada and the United States of America share the longest common border in the world that is an enormous 5,500 miles long and let's not forget it borders Alaska as well. The U.S.-Canadian border is not a militarized border. As you can read with the enormous borders to our south and to our north it is seemingly impossible to patrol all 7,500 miles that border the U.S. Now with that being said we forget about our ports and the endless amount of water that borders the U.S. from the west to the east and even the south. Since boats first saw water they have been a pipeline of getting immigrants into the country. Now this becomes less and less as the years pass but in earlier decades and even centuries it was a major issue.

In my next blog I will try and get in depth as to why immigrants come to the U.S. illegally but I will end by saying that the first thing that comes to my mind is "Necessity" plain and simple.

BB






References Cited
Borders and Law Enforcement. US Embassy Mexico. Retrieved on 2006-03-07.