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Information for US Congress

Are you a member of Congress or a staffer evaluating policy options and need nonpartisan information quickly?
Contact Communications Director Michelle Mittelstadt at 202-266-1910 or Communications@migrationpolicy.org.


MPI Congressional Testimony

Weaknesses in the Visa Waiver Program
Testimony of Susan Ginsburg, Director of MPI's Mobility and Security Program, before the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security
Feb. 28, 2008

Examining Point Systems as a Method for Selecting Immigrants
Testimony of MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou before the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law
May 1, 2007

New Concepts in Regularization: Earned Legalization
As Congress considers legislative proposals that include earned legalization programs for unauthorized immigrants, Demetrios Papademetriou provides insight into considerations for setting up such a system.
(Additional resource for May 1, 2007 testimony)

Shortfalls of 1986 Immigration Reform Legislation
Testimony of Muzaffar Chishti, director of MPI’s Office at NYU School of Law, before the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security
Thursday, April 19, 2007

More MPI Testimony...



Fact Sheets and Backgrounders

Document Security Provisions: What's in the Cards?
By Dawn Konet
Fact Sheet No. 17, June 2007
This Fact Sheet provides a chart of the security features -- from photos and fingerprints to holograms and lamination -- of documents issued by government agencies and used by US residents to work, travel and verify their identities. While some of the other commonly used documents have had their security features steadily improved, there have been no significant changes to the Social Security card, one of the most commonly used to show work eligibility.

Actual Immigration to the United States:
The Real Numbers

By Julia Gelatt
Fact Sheet No. 16, May 2007
While official figures show annual permanent immigration to the United States averaging about 1 million people a year, actual annual immigration to the United States is about 1.8 million people. True permanent immigration numbers must also include include those entering through certain temporary immigration streams, and those entering or remaining in the United States without authorization.

Immigration Fee Increases in Context
By Julia Gelatt and Margie McHugh
Fact Sheet No. 15, February 2007
US Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced plans for an 80 percent increase in naturalization application fees. The fact sheet details the increased fees' implications for US immigrants and provides background on USCIS' call for higher fees.

More MPI Fact Sheets...

 

 

   
New from the Migration Information Source


MPI POLICY BEAT

By Aaron Matteo Terrazas and Trinidad Macias
February 15, 2008

USCIS: Backlog in Naturalization Applications Will Take Nearly Three Years to Clear
MPI's Muzaffar Chishti and Claire Bergeron report on the USCIS naturalization application backlog, final Real ID regulations, proposed H-2A visa changes, and more.

Policy Beat in Brief
Backlogs Due to Background Checks... H-2A Visas... New Immigrants' Naturalization Rates...


Useful Links from the Migration Information Source

Spotlight on Legal Immigration to the United States
By Gretchen Reinemeyer and Jeanne Batalova, November 2007
Nearly 1.3 million individuals became lawful permanent residents of the United States in 2006.

Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants in the United States
By Aaron Terrazas, Jeanne Batalova, and Velma Fan, October 2007
This article provides the most sought-after statistics on immigrant origins, numbers, and characteristics in one place.

Foreign-Born Wage and Salary Workers in the US Labor Force and Unions
By Velma Fan and Jeanne Batalova, August 2007

Selecting Economic Stream Immigrants through Points Systems

By Demetrios Papademetriou, May 2007
MPI President Demetrios Papademetriou outlines the basics of points systems, which countries have used them, their political benefits, and trends in points-system use.

The Recently Arrived Foreign Born in the United States
By Jeanne Batalova and Aaron Matteo Terrazas, May 2007

A New Century: Immigration and the US
Updated by Kevin Jernegan, February 2005

US Temporary Worker Programs: Lessons Learned
By Doris Meissner, March 2004

Access More Source Articles on Immigrants in the United States