Following are few common facts about immigration that many many may not have known.
- Around 12 million undocumented immigrants are currently living in the country. 16 percent of those in the country illegally are youth and around half of them are undocumented because they overstayed their non-immigrant visas.
- California is the most popular immigrant state and more than 27 percent of the total state population is comprised of immigrants. West Virginia is the U.S. state with the fewest immigrants.
- More than half of the immigrants in the country are of Latino origin and 25 percent are of Asian origin.
- Most of the immigrants in the country start-up businesses that benefit the economy of the country. Their businesses create more than $162 billion in tax revenue.
- Many believe that immigrants do not pay taxes. But they do pay taxes. They pay sales and income taxes.
- There was no national immigration system in the U.S. until 1890 and no passports were required to travel to the U.S. until 1918.
- In 1924, the “illegality” concept was created. Only after that, the law enforcement authorities started to deport people who entered the country without inspection.
- More than 1 million immigrants obtained green cards in 2011. Out of them, 14 percent were of Mexican origin, 7.9 percent were Chinese and 6.4 percent were from India.
- Under the legal immigration process, foreigners who have close family ties in the U.S., foreign workers with extraordinary skills and refugees and asylees will be given top priority. They can easily immigrate to the U.S.
- Most of the immigrants who came to the U.S. between 2009 and 2011 were from Asia and North America.
- There is a common misconception that immigrants do not speak English. But according to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 75 percent of them learn to speak English well within the first ten years of their arrival.
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