KCCD AAPI Immigration Reform Data

1. ASIAN AMERICANS WANT
IMMIGRATION REFORM
Prepared by: Korean Churches for Community Development

2. President/CEO of KCCD Hyepin Im :
“With President Obama’s Executive Order, many individuals including 400,000 Asian American
and Pacific Islanders who are living in the shadows of our society will now be able to breathe
free and take steps to join as full members of our society and pursue the life they dreamed for
themselves and their family. We look forward to Congress taking next steps to create a
commonsense immigration reform that will address our broken immigration system.
For now
• 1.3 million of the 11 million undocumented are AAPI’s.
• 40% of the 4.2 million individuals who are currently on the family visa backlog are AAPI – that
means 1.8 million AAPI individuals are waiting to be reunited with their family. Their average
wait has been 12 to 23 years.
• AAPI’s make up 84% of the employer-based visa backlog.
• In California, 40% of the Dreamers are AAPI. Nationally, they make up 6%.
• To date, 250,000 AAPI have been deported.
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development

3. California AAPI DREAMers
also make up 40 percent
of those in the University
of California system.
40%
AAPI DREAMers in the University of California System
All Others
AAPI
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

4. "Asia has surpassed Latin America as the dominant source of new immigrants to the U.S. Asia
accounted for 45 percent of all new immigrants in 2012, compared to 34 percent for Latin
America.“
Source: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/immigration-is-changing-much-more-than-the-immigration-debate/?
http://aapidata.com/undocumented-2014/
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform
Ben Casselman, FiveThirtyEight.com
0 200000 400000 600000
California
New York
New Jersey
Texas
Illinois
Virginia
Georgia
Washington
Undocumented Asian American Population by State
Undocumented Asian American
Population by State

5. Five of the Top Ten Source Countries for Undocumented Immigrants are Asian
Source: Hoefer, Michael, Nancy Rytina, and Bryan Baker. “Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2011”
<https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ois_ill_pe_2011.pdf>
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform
Country of birth Estimated population in January Percent of total
All countries
Mexico
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
China
Philippines
India
Korea
Ecuador
Vietnam
Other countries
11,510,000
6,800,000
660,000
520,000
380,000
280,000
270,000
240,000
230,000
210,000
170,000
1,750,000
100
59
6
5
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
15

6. Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform
65% of AAPI voters
supported commonsense
immigration reform.*
65%
AAPI Supporting Commonsense
Immigration Reform
Support
Not Support
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
* Poll by the Asian American Legal Defense and
Education Fund (2012)

7. Of the 11 million
undocumented people
in the United States, 1.3
million are Asian, many
of whom are youth who
have lived most of their
lives in the United States.
12%
AAPI Undocumented Immigrants
All Others (11 million)
AAPI (1.3 million)
Sources:
http://www.advancingequality.org/sites/aajc/files/NCAPA_CIR_Principles_1.pdf
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/asian-americans-immigration-reform
http://missionassetfund.org/california-dreaming-making-american-dream/&sa=D&usg=ALhdy29NYwgCJKKh5kwc1yOiFtHAZ-rh7w
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

8. Even though Asian American
and Pacific Islanders (AAPI)
make up only 6 percent of the
total U.S. population, AAPI
account for over 40% of the
4.2 million individuals
caught in the current family
immigration visa backlog.
40%
(1.8 million)
AAPI Family Immigration Visa Backlog
40% of the Total or 1.8 Million AAPI’s
All Others
AAPI
Source http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sahra-vang-nguyen/5-terrifying-facts-about-_b_5670005.html
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
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Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

9. One out of seven Korean immigrants are undocumented. Asians are
now the largest group of new immigrants in this country.
0 7
Korean Immigrants Undocumented
Documented
Source: https://www.google.com/url?q=http://missionassetfund.org/california-dreaming-making-american-dream/&sa=D&usg=ALhdy29NYwgCJKKh5kwc1yOiFtHAZ-rh7w
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
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Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

10. 84%
(94,080
applications)
Employer-Based Visa Backlog
All others
AAPI
Source: http://chu.house.gov/sites/chu.house.gov/files/documents/8_8_14%20CAPAC_Immigration_DHS_Recommendations_FINAL.pdf
Among individuals waiting
for employer-based visas,
AAPI account for 84
percent of the backlog of
112,000 applications.
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

11. The Department of Homeland Security estimates than 1.3
million Asian Americans are undocumented. More than
250,000 Asian Americans have been deported under the
Obama Administration.
Sources: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/05/obama-exceeds-million-mark-deportations/
http://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/news-media/publications/column-5-reasons-why-asian-americans-must-support-executive-action 7340419/
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
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Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

12. • China, India, and Korea are in the top ten sending countries of
immigrant entrepreneurs. The Senate bill would create a new visa
program for foreign entrepreneurs to start and grow their
businesses in the United States.
The Senate bill would create new visa pathways for immigrant
entrepreneurs and investors and make key improvements to the H-1B
program.
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

13. Most Asian Americans
are immigrants or the
children of immigrants.
Sixty percent of Asian
Americans are
immigrants.
60%
AAPI Immigrants in the U.S.
Non-Immigrants
Immigrants
Source: http://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/news-media/publications/column-5-reasons-why-asian-americans-must-support-executive-action
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development

14. Of the 13.5 million AAPI
currently living the U.S., 8.7
million immigrated to the U.S.
• 31% U.S. citizen
• 34% Naturalized U.S. citizen
• 35% Non-citizens
34%
35%
AAPI Immigrant Status
Asian American US
Citizen
Naturalized US
Citizen
Noncitizen
Sources:
http://www.advancingequality.org/sites/aajc/files/NCAPA_CIR_Principles_1.pdf
MSNBC- Asian Americans want immigration reform, too 12/24/13 http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/asian-americans-immigration-reform
https://www.google.com/url?q=http://missionassetfund.org/california-dreaming-making-american-dream/&sa=D&usg=ALhdy29NYwgCJKKh5kwc1yOiFtHAZ-rh7w
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform
69% of AAPI are immigrants

15. About 430,000 Asians, or
36 percent of all new
immigrants, arrived in the
U.S. in 2010, according to
the latest census data.
That’s compared to about
370,000, or 31%, who
were Hispanic.
AAPI
36%
31%
AAPI Immigrants in 2010
36% of All Immigrants
All Others
AAPI
Hispanic
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/15/asian-immigrants-surpass-hispanics_n_3446441.html
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

16. In California alone, there
are an estimated 416,000
Asian undocumented
immigrants, or roughly
15% of the state’s entire
undocumented population.
15%
AAPI Undocumented Population in CA
All Others
AAPI
Source: http://asiasociety.org/northern-california/events/faces-immigration-undocumented-asians-america
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

17. California has the highest
percentage of undocumented
students in the nation — about
350,000 — according to an
NEA study. Of these, only 5
to 10 percent go to college.
35%
(350,000)
Undocumented Students in CA
Nationwide
California
Source:http://www.cta.org/dreamers
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Korean Churches for
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Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

18. “When most people think of
DREAMers, they think of Latinos,”
says Inouye, a third-generation
Japanese American. “But about
10 percent are Asian or Pacific
Islanders, with Hmong and
Vietnamese the fastest-growing
groups — and among the most
impacted by poverty.”
10%
DREAMers
All Others
AAPI
Source:http://www.cta.org/dreamers
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Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

19. Six percent of potential
DREAMers are of Asian origin.
6%
Potential DREAMers
Asian origin
All others
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

20. • In 2011, 25% of the foreign born population in the
United States came from Asian countries
• Asian immigrants also make up 11% of the 11
million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., living
and working in the shadows, unable to fully
participate in our society.
Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are a rapidly growing
immigrant population in the United States.
11%
Undocumented Immigrants
in the United States
AAPI
immigrants
All others
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

21. • In 2011, almost 248,000 Asian immigrants became green card
holders through petitions filed by their U.S. citizen or permanent
resident family members.
• As of November 1, 2012, there were 1.8 million Asian family-based
immigrant visa applicants waiting to join their families in the U.S.
Family-based immigration is the most common pathway to the
United States for Asian immigrants.
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

22. • Applicants born in mainland China and
India must wait up to 12 years depending on
their visa category.
• Applicants born in the Philippines must wait
up to 23 years depending on their visa
category.
Family-based immigration is the most common pathway to the United
States for Asian immigrants.
0
5
10
15
20
25
Mainland China
and India
Philippines
Visa Wait Time
(in years)
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

23. 54% of Asian Americans
surveyed said that visa
backlogs presented a
significant problem for their
families.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Survey on Visa Backlogs
Total
Asian
Americans
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

24. The Senate bill would increase the
number of available H-1B visas by
raising the baseline cap from 65,000
visas to 115,000 visas per year
Petitioners from India (64%) and China
(7.6%) continue to be the largest users
of the H-1B program.
H-1B Visa Petitioners
India
China
All others
0 115000
Current Baseline Cap
Proposed Baseline Cap
Number of Available H-1B Visas
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

25. • In fiscal year 2012, more than 91,000 individuals born in Asia obtained green cards
through employment-based immigrant visa petitions.
• But immigrants from India and China can wait 10 years or longer for some
employment-based immigrant visas. Close to 93,000 individuals waiting in the
employment-based immigrant backlog as of November 1, 2012, are from Asian
countries.
• The Senate bill would eliminate the existing backlogs for employment-based green
cards, exempts certain employment-based categories from the annual cap, and remove
annual country limitations altogether.
The Senate bill would increase the number of employment based visas and eliminate
restrictions on the number of immigrants from populous nations like India and China.
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform

26. • In 2009, Indian immigrants represented 56% of all Masters students seeking degrees
in computer science and engineering, and China and India sent nearly half of all foreign
nationals pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) doctorates. Almost
half of Asian immigrant adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• The Senate bill would exempt STEM Ph.D and Master’s graduates from the annual cap
of 140,000 visas. This provision would effectively “staple” a green card to the diplomas
of advanced STEM graduates from U.S. universities.
• The Senate bill would also exempt certain physicians from the overall visa cap. In
2009, 58% of all immigrant doctors, and 52% of immigrant nurses were from Asian
countries.
The Senate bill would increase the number of employment based visas and eliminate restrictions
on the number of immigrants from populous nations like India and China.
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/aapi_fact_sheet_0.pdf
Prepared by:
Korean Churches for
Community Development
Asian Americans Want Immigration Reform