Knowra Immigration to the United States Immigration to the United States Immigration to the United States is the movement of people from other countries to live there permanently or for an extended period. It has been shaped by changing laws, labor needs, and patterns of migration.
European colonization of the Americas : The settlement and political domination of the Americas by European powers beginning in the late fifteenth century. European settlement laid early foundations for migration to territories that became the United States.
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 : A United States law that ended national-origins quotas and established a preference system emphasizing family ties and employment. It reshaped the origins and composition of immigration to the United States.
Immigrant labor in the United States : Work performed in the United States by people who migrated from other countries. Immigrants have supplied labor across agriculture, industry, services, and professional occupations.
United States citizenship : Legal membership in the United States, carrying rights and duties defined by federal law and the Constitution. Citizenship distinguishes members from immigrants who have not naturalized.
Great Migration of Canada to the United States : The large nineteenth-century movement of Canadians into the United States, especially the Midwest and Northeast. It illustrates how nearby borders and unsettled land drew migrants before modern immigration controls.
Family reunification : A migration policy principle that allows citizens or residents to bring eligible family members to join them. Family preferences are a central route to lawful permanent residence in the United States.
Ethnic enclaves : Geographic concentrations where members of an ethnic group build communities, institutions, and businesses. Enclaves can provide newcomers with networks, services, and familiar cultural settings.
United States nonimmigrant visa : Permission for a foreign national to enter the United States temporarily for a specific purpose, such as study or tourism. Temporary admission differs from immigration intended for permanent settlement.
German American immigration : Migration from German-speaking states and later Germany that formed one of the largest European-origin populations in the United States. German migration shows how political upheaval and economic opportunity shaped nineteenth-century arrivals.
Employment-based immigration to the United States : Admission to the United States through visas based on work, specialized skills, investment, or employer sponsorship. Employment preferences channel some immigration toward labor-market needs.
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