Immigrant Laws on Asian Indians

Up to 2012, the population of Asian Americans is over 18 million and almost 5.8% of the U.S. population ("Asian American", n.d.). However, earlier in the 19^th century, there is only few Asian Americans in the U.S. due to the strictly immigrant laws (Purkayastha 186). For example, by 1917, “a new ban on Asian migration was in effect; no person of Asian origin, irrespective of his or her geographic residence were allowed to move to the US” (Purkayastha 186). However, most conditions in the 1965 laws were encouraged Asian Indian migration (Purkayastha 186). Between 1965 to the

1980s, the only economic migrants who were allowed to migrate because of employer preferences were those who fit the contemporary definition of highly skilled migrants. Here the highly-skilled labor is specifically for doctors, engineers and scientists. Due to the primarily male preserves for such area, the immigrant laws are much more strictly for Asian Indian women (Purkayastha 186). I believe the reason is that under such laws, if Indian women want to immigrate into the US, they have to rely on men by the marriage. Many of them may be high-educated and they could bring many benefits to the society of America. However, by the immigrant laws, their education or the skills not relate to those specific areas are worthless. Why we could not get a job based the skills we have, but instead, we have to live in this county rely on other people. Also, the problems are not just these. If a Indian woman comes to the America along with her husband, the only work she could do is the housewife. Because she cannot work outside due to her visa status although she might could get a job and earn money back home like her husband. For me, these immigrant laws are strictly on Asian Indians and unfair to those Indian women.

 --- By Xixiao Hu

Wikipedia contributors. "Asian American." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 9 Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

Purkayastha, Bandana. "Skilled migration and cumulative disadvantage: the case of highly qualified Asian Indian immigrant women in the US."Geoforum 36.2 (2005), 181-196.