5 Rando Facts on Immigration

• John Vandivier
This article discusses 5 random facts related to immigration policy. #1 Economic analysis mainly shows that more immigration is good for everyone. My analysis even indicates that deporting illegal immigrants is more costly than beneficial. See this article for more info. #2 91% of Americans living in Mexico are \"Illegal\" LatinLife gives a heavily biased report here, but even so it presents at least this one interesting statistic based on an academic study. #3 On our other border, Canada is also easier on immigrants Legal immigration and citizenship in Canada is trivial compared to the US. All in all, it takes about 5 years. Illegal immigration to Canada is rising quickly, but they treat illegal immigration differently than does the US. Per the article just linked:
After they’re caught, the [illegal] migrants generally request to be admitted into Canada as refugees... On average 60 percent of all people who go before the tribunal are granted asylum in Canada
#4 Becoming a legal US citizen usually takes 6+ years If a foreigner would like to legally become a US citizen they must:
  1. Get a green card.
    1. This may take about 9 months.
      1. 1 month for a field office to receive your application and begin processing a new batch.
        1. Specific field offices begin reviewing applications in batches on specific dates, but at any given day of the year there is some field office starting a batch within a few weeks.
      2. 4 months of processing time at the field office.
        1. Using the same link as above, click \"When to expect your green card\"
      3. Up to 6 months after processing to physically receive your green card.
    2. If and when a foreigner receives a green card they become a \"permanent resident\"
    3. The permanent resident status is confusing because the green card itself expires, but the individual is still legally a permanent resident even with an expired green card.
  2. After getting a green card, maintain residence for 5 years. Less if you're married.
  3. After fulfilling the residency requirement, apply for citizenship. This takes another 9 months on average.
#5 The first ever AfterEcon article was written on immigration. The creatively entitled On Immigration, written in May 2010, can be viewed here. A longer list of my writings over time on the topic includes: