Immigration is the international movement of people into a new country to live permanently. The United States has a long history of welcoming migrants, who have helped shape the nation demographically, economically, culturally, and socially over the centuries during four major peak periods of significant immigration.
Those moving to another country for any reason are called immigrants, but some of those who move are not legally considered such by their destination countries. Legal immigrant categories include family (spouses, children of citizens), employment (many different types of jobs) and humanitarian (including refugees and asylum seekers).
A variety of reasons drive people to leave their home countries and seek new ones to call their own, including war, hunger, extreme poverty, climate change, or a lack of economic opportunity. Women and girls are often disproportionately affected by these factors. People may also leave their homelands because of sexual or gender-based persecution, violence or abuse they experience in their homes or on their journey to a new country or region.
Some migrants may be able to apply for citizenship, but not all do. This can be for a number of reasons, including language barriers, lack of interest, or fear of losing access to public benefits. It can also be difficult to find work in their chosen field when they arrive in a country, especially if the job pays less than what is needed for a basic standard of living.
Many immigrants, particularly those in the first generation in their new country, may find it challenging to pursue their “dream jobs,” as working in the arts or other professions is often not a viable option without a stable income. In focus groups, first-generation immigrants and those in the 1.5 generation say that they learned early on to prioritize responsibility over pursuing their passions, and they often find themselves taking less than ideal jobs.
Almost half of immigrants are not English proficient, making it challenging to navigate the bureaucracy of government institutions or understand their health insurance and other policies. This can put them at a higher risk for fraud and scams by those who might take advantage of their inability to communicate effectively.
Immigrants have lower levels of educational attainment than the U.S.-born population, but there are important differences by origin. For example, those from Mexico and Central America are far more likely to have not completed high school than those born in the United States. On the other hand, those from India and China are more likely to have a bachelor’s degree or above than their counterparts in the United States. In addition, some stowaways and those who come to the United States for seasonal or short-term jobs are not classified as immigrants by official counts because they have not made an application for permanent residence. However, these people are still referred to as immigrants in popular usage and in some surveys that do not explicitly define what defines an immigrant.