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35 Ariz. J. Int'l & Comp. L. 469 (2018)
An Overview of the US Immigration System and Comparison with Merit-Based Immigration Systems in Light of the Proposed Raise Act

handle is hein.journals/ajicl35 and id is 507 raw text is: 






       AN  OVERVIEW OF THE US IMMIGRATION SYSTEM AND
  COMPARISON WITH MERIT-BASED IMMIGRATION SYSTEMS IN
                LIGHT   OF  THE  PROPOSED RAISE ACT

                             Grace H. Parsons*

                           TABLE  OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION        ...........................................................469

II. OVERVIEW OF CURRENT  US IMMIGRATION  POLICY ON  ADMISSIONS..............473
     A. Family-Based Immigration to the United States....................475
     B. Employment-Based  Immigration to the United States..........................478
     C. Unauthorized Immigration to the United States.....     .............481

III. OVERVIEW OF PROPOSED US  LEGISLATION: THE RAISE  ACT .......       ......482

IV. MERIT-BASED  IMMIGRATION  SCHEMES  IN FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS .............485
     A. Canada's Immigration System    ..................................486
     B. Australia's Immigration System.............................490

V. WOULD  POINT-BASED  IMMIGRATION  WORK  FOR THE UNITED  STATES?.........493

VI. CONCLUSION.......................................................  497


                           I. INTRODUCTION

        The United States has more immigrants living within its borders than any
other country in the world.' It has often been characterized as a nation of



    *   J.D. Candidate, 2019, University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law.
Special thanks to Professor Nina Rabin for her guidance and input; to my coworkers at the
Law Offices of Robert D. Ahlgren & Associates for their dedication to immigrant families;
and to my incredible friends and family (especially those who actually read all thirty pages).
Finally, I would like to thank Leah A. Duckett Gray for her passion, intelligence, and
mentorship as an indomitable advocate for immigrant clients. Even though she lost her battle
with leukemia, she will forever continue to inspire.
    I   Phillip Connor & Gustavo Lopez, 5 facts about the U.S. rank in worldwide
migration, PEw  RES.  CTR.  (May   18,  2016), http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-
tank/201 6/05/18/5-facts-about-the-u-s-rank-in-worldwide-migration/ (based on 2015 UN
data which counted persons born in US territories, such as Puerto Rico, as immigrants).
While recent data shows that the United States has the highest total number of immigrants,
those immigrants make up a lower proportion of the overall US population than immigrants
in many other countries. See id. For example, in 2015, immigrants accounted for roughly

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