Immigration Act Of 1965

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Geography 1965 immigration act In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill that has dramatically changed the method by which immigrants are admitted to America. This bill is the Immigration Act of 1965. This act, also known as the Hart-Cellar Act, not only allows more individuals from third world countries to enter the US, but also entails a separate quota for refugees. Under the Act, 170,000 immigrants from the Eastern Hemisphere are granted residency, with no more than 20,000 per country. One hundred twenty thousand immigrants from the Western Hemisphere, with no “national limitations,” are also to be admitted. Before President Johnson signed this bill, the Senate voted 76 to 18 in favor of this act, with the most opposition votes cast by Southern delegates. The House voted 326 to 69 in favor of the act. The 1965 immigration act revolutionized migration to the United States and changed our society in a couple of different reasons. The Immigration Act of 1965 abolished the national-origin quotas that had been in place in the United States since the Immigration Act of 1924. Immigrants were to be admitted by their skills and professions rather than by their nationality. It leveled the immigration playing field, giving a nearly equal shot to newcomers from every corner of the world. An annual limitation was established of 170,000 visas for immigrants from eastern hemisphere countries with no more than 20,000 per country. By 1968, the annual limitation from the western hemisphere was set at 120,000 immigrants, with visas available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Act also began the rejuvenation of the Asian American community in the US by abolishing the strict quotas that had restricted immigration from Asia since 1882. Increased numbers of Asian immigrants then began arriving to revitalize the older community. By the end of the 20th century, the
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