US Immigration News

Immigrants and their businesses in U.S. inner cities often spark growth in jobs and household incomes, according to a study released Nov. 15.

For decades, policymakers have debated the best ways to boost poor inner-city economies. Immigrants and rundown urban neighborhoods are seen by some as a drain on the U.S. economy, according to Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter.

But in his study, Porter found that the 5.5 million immigrants who live in inner cities are key catalysts to economic growth and urban investment.

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Increased immigration of low-skilled workers from Mexico and Central America helps to explain the pattern of low average wage growth in the US in recent years, the Congressional Budget Office said in a report released on 10 Nov.

Latin American workers, with less education than US natives and who earn less, have cut overall average earnings in the US. But given the growth of immigrants, the increase in the earnings gap between US workers with more and less education may be less than is often suggested.

The US Senate approved a bill eliminating social benefits for legal immigrants, arguing that it will save the Federal Budget 35 billion dollars over the next five years.

The New York daily Tribuna Hispana assesses that 70,000 immigrants will lose their right to food stamps and Medicare services unless they become US citizens.

The House Budget Committee approved a 54 billion USD deduction package that eliminates food stamps for some 300,000 people, including thousands of immigrants, and sources expect it will be approved by the House.

The number of new international graduate students enrolling in American universities appears to have increased slightly this autumn following three years of decline.

The figure rose 1 percent compared to a year ago, the Council of Graduate Schools says in a new report. Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the numbers fell 8 percent in 2002, 10 percent in 2003, and 3 percent in 2004.

The US Senate voted in favour of increasing the cap on H-1B visas by 30,000 to 95,000 from next year. The H-1B visa is largely used in the IT industry to employ skilled professionals, and industry leaders have been lobbying for its increase in recent months.

The Senate also voted to increase the number of legal immigrants as part of a broad budget deficit cutting bill that was passed on 3 Nov. by a margin of 52 to 47 votes.