Resident Nonimmigrant Population in the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security recently released a report, “Estimates of the Size and Characteristics of the Resident Nonimmigrant Population in the United States: January 2012.”

 

It analyzes the size and characteristics of resident “nonimmigrants” in the U.S.  in terms of variables such as age, country of origin, and type of visa. Nonimmigrants are defined as foreign-born nationals with a visa as opposed to permanent residents, tourists or business travelers.

 

The report showed:

• A total of about 1.9 million nonimmigrants lived in the U.S. in 2012.
• Majority of them (80%) were between the ages of 18 and 44.
• About half of the resident nonimmigrants (980,000) were citizens of Asian countries, including India (23% or 430,000), China (11% or 210,000), South Korea (8% or 140,000) and Japan (5% or 90,000).
• The largest categories (45% or 840,000) were temporary workers and their families and students (38% or 720,000) and their families.
• Nearly 50% of the students were citizens of China (22%), India (14%) or South Korea (13%).
• Their top destination states were California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Massachusetts.

Hilary Clinton, "a Huge Supporter" of Immigration Reform and Her Promise to Push Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Hilary Rodham Clinton, the former secretary of state, said that she was a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform and the path to citizenship for the nation's 11 million unauthorized immigrants.  "I'm a huge supporter of immigration reform and a path to citizenship and will continue to advocate for that," said Clinton.


At an event hosted by the Clinton Foundation Thursday, Clinton was asked by a 19-year old woman, an undocumented immigrant, what she would do about immigration.
The young woman explained that her family had illegally brought her to the US from Croatia when she was five-years-old.  "It's been very hard ... because I don't have the documentation to get a job, to vote—which is essential obviously to women representation—to buy an apartment, to take out a loan to go to college, so I couldn't even go to my dream college because of that, to get no financial aid."


Clinton responded, "I believe strongly that we are missing a great opportunity by not welcoming people like you and 11 million others who have made contributions to our country, into a legal status so you don't have to worry, you can go to school, you can work, you can pursue your dreams."  Clinton made it clear that reforming the broken system would be one of her priorities.  She is “strongly in favor” of the bipartisan immigration bill passed in the Senate and that it is “a big missed opportunity for our country” that the House has not yet taken up the legislation.


Clinton has also supported the Obama administration's deferred action initiative for young unauthorized immigrants who would benefit from congressional approval of Dream Act legislation.


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Poll Shows Wide Support for Immigration Reform

According to the poll released by POLITICO, voters showed broad support for comprehensive immigration reform, even among Republicans.  64% of GOP respondents said they want comprehensive reform, compared with 78% of Democrats and 71% of independents.  The POLITICO poll is just the latest in a long line of national surveys that has found wide support for immigration reform.

Congress has not been able to get nothing done on legislations since the Senate passed its bill last June.  Overall, only 12% of those respondents in the POLITICO survey said they "strongly oppose" the reform.  Hispanics and Latinos "strongly supported" comprehensive reform while 85% of those respondents said it was "important" and 53% said it was "very important."  Most of the opposition was from Republican conservatives and Tea Party members.

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Immigration Legislation: Deadline is this August??

According to Florida Rep., Mario Diaz-Balart, the deadline to pass immigration legislation is this August. Diaz-Balart is part of the effort to develop an immigration bill that could pass the House.


Diaz-Balart told CQ Roll Call at the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute's awards gala that "the legislative process in essence, frankly, has to work on deadlines.  There's a deadline.  And the deadline is that if we don't get it done by August, it doesn't happen."


"If Congress doesn't act by the August break, the president is going to do something.  And once that happens, two things happen... No. 1 is that the possibility of any further negotiations - of any - disintegrate" said Diaz-Balart.


Diaz-Balart feels optimistic that it will get done because he "thinks most people in the House understand that what we have is unacceptable" and "if we don't get it done by this August, it just doesn't get done."


He cautioned that an immigration overhaul still faces an uphill climb to pass the House.  However, "I wouldn't be working hard at it if I didn't think there was a legitimate chance of getting it done," he stated.

Spouses of H-1B Holders May Be Able To Work

According to a proposed rule change the Department of Homeland Sec, spouses of H-1B visa holders may be able to receive work authorization in the U.S.  This would remove obstacles for some high-skilled workers to staying in the U.S. 


DHS Deputy Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, stated "these steps will help the U.S. maintain competitiveness with other countries in our efforts to attract the best and the brightest high-skilled workers from around the world to support companies here at home.  Businesses continue to need these high-skilled workers, and these rules ensure we do not cede the upper hand to other countries competing for the same talent."


The current regulations do not allow employment authorization to dependents of H-1B highly-skilled non-immigration workers, or H-4 non-immigrants.  This has "long caused difficulties for the spouses of skilled immigrants, mainly from China, India and the Philippines, who are working here on temporary visas known as H-1B.  The spouses, mainly wives, often have skills and education too, but are not authorized to work in the United States, causing their careers to languish" according to the New York Times.


The proposed rule would allow H-4 non-immigrants to request employment authorization as long as the H-1B visa holder has already started the process of seeking lawful permanent residence through employment.




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