IMMIGRATION POLICY IN THE UNITED STATES: AN UPDATE
"ABSTRACT
This document updates the Congressional Budget Office's February 2006 paper Immigration Policy in the United States. It presents data through 2009 on permanent and temporary admissions of foreign nationals to the United States, the number and types of visas issued, the naturalization of residents, and enforcement of immigration laws—and makes comparisons with 2004, which was the most recent year for which most data were reported in the earlier paper.

SUMMARY

The Immigration and Nationality Act sets immigration policy in the United States on the basis of four general objectives:

To facilitate the reunification of families by admitting people who already have a family member living in the United States,
To attract workers to fill positions in certain occupations for which there are shortages,
To increase diversity by admitting people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States, and
To provide a refuge for people who face the risk of racial, religious, or political persecution in their home country."