INA 50 years that changed immigration to the U.S.

On Behalf of | Nov 16, 2015 | Blog |

Fifty years ago in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a law which radically changed immigration in the United States. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is the same law that continues to operate in the USA today and its implementation resulted in positive effects for the nation.

INA was signed by President Johnson and represented a major change, favoring family reunification and the issuing of visas for professional workers. Before this immigration law was enacted, 87{ 60+ 1159a6a7429584a806995ad39558e169cc2325aba4a356f39b55aa785c6703} of foreigners arriving to the United States were of European origin, at present immigration from Europe represents a mere 10{ 60+ 1159a6a7429584a806995ad39558e169cc2325aba4a356f39b55aa785c6703}.

This law led to a change in the behavior of immigrants. During the first five years of the new law, the number of foreigners arriving to this country doubled; this same pattern was repeated during the 1980’s.

The present population of the United States is 326 million of which 49.9{ 60+ 1159a6a7429584a806995ad39558e169cc2325aba4a356f39b55aa785c6703} are male and 50.6{ 60+ 1159a6a7429584a806995ad39558e169cc2325aba4a356f39b55aa785c6703} female. The U.S. has the third largest population in the world, California and Texas are the most populated states and New York the city with the highest population. Of the total national population, 72.4{ 60+ 1159a6a7429584a806995ad39558e169cc2325aba4a356f39b55aa785c6703} are white and of European origin mainly emigrating from England, Ireland and Germany, followed by Italians and Hispanics. The black race represents 12.6{ 60+ 1159a6a7429584a806995ad39558e169cc2325aba4a356f39b55aa785c6703} and the remaining 15{ 60+ 1159a6a7429584a806995ad39558e169cc2325aba4a356f39b55aa785c6703} distributed among other races.

Some curious data about some other minorities are the Jews, with some 5 million living in the United States almost the same population that live in the State of Israel, or as in the case of Philippines which is not considered either Hispanic or Oriental, many possessing Spanish last names. The Hispanic community is the fastest growing and approximately 17{ 60+ 1159a6a7429584a806995ad39558e169cc2325aba4a356f39b55aa785c6703} of the population of this country. A large percentage of this number is from Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans are not immigrants as they all have U.S. nationality from birth.

English is the official language of the United States but Spanish is being used increasingly and can be considered the second language. In the states of California and Texas text written on products and at establishments, appear in both languages and all governmental and private services offer information in Spanish.

A great country created by immigrants, a giant melting pot of nationalities that continues to grow.

Always consult with an experienced immigration attorney who is a law graduate and certified in the United States of America by the Board of Immigration Appeals Federal Department of Justice.

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