Immigration
Immigration has always been a hot topic during a presidential election year, and this year is no different. Legal immigrants are often celebrated, while unauthorized immigrants are often blamed for many things that are wrong with the country. Still, millions of immigrants from around the world come to the U.S. each year seeking to take advantage of everything this country has to offer.
Historical Immigration Trends
The Migration Policy Institute has researched U.S. immigration trends of foreign-born people with no U.S. citizenship at birth dating back to 1850. Immigrants as a percentage of the U.S. population have fluctuated over the decades, but in 1850, immigrants represented 10 percent of the total population. From 1860 to 1920, the immigrant population peaked at 14.8 percent of the total U.S. population, and the majority of these immigrants came from Europe. From the 1920s until 1970, immigration declined to a
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in 2014, and India had the largest number of immigrants followed by China, Mexico, Canada, and the Philippines.
Demographic Information
Some demographic information about the U.S. immigrant population in 2014 include:
• 51 percent are female
• The median age of all immigrants was 43.5 years with 80 percent between the ages of 18 to 64
• Spanish is the predominant language spoken by immigrants at home
• 29 percent have a college education
• California, Texas, New York, Florida, and New Jersey have the top five largest populations of immigrants
Immigration Law
Immigrants aren’t required to hire an immigration attorney, but it’s highly recommended that they do because applying for legal resident status is a complex process. An accredited attorney can make sure all the documents are filled out and filed properly. Hiring an immigration attorney may be expensive for some, but having everything done right the first time with the help of an attorney can make the process easier for the