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101 Immigration Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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Immigration has been a hot-button issue in recent years, with debates raging over border security, refugee resettlement, and the economic impact of immigration. If you're tasked with writing an essay on immigration, you may be struggling to come up with a topic that is both interesting and relevant. To help you get started, we've compiled a list of 101 immigration essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your writing.

• The history of immigration in the United States
• The impact of immigration on American culture
• Immigration policies and their effects on immigrant communities
• The economic benefits of immigration
• The social challenges faced by immigrants
• The role of immigration in the labor market
• Immigration and crime rates
• The ethics of border enforcement
• The challenges faced by undocumented immigrants
• The impact of immigration on public health
• The experience of refugee resettlement
• The impact of immigration on education
• Immigration and the environment
• The politics of immigration reform
• The role of immigration in shaping national identity
• The impact of immigration on urban development
• Immigration and globalization
• The impact of immigration on family dynamics
• The role of immigration in the spread of disease
• The impact of immigration on social welfare programs
• Immigration and human trafficking
• The impact of immigration on rural communities
• Immigration and the criminal justice system
• The impact of immigration on housing markets
• The role of immigration in international relations
• Immigration and national security
• The impact of immigration on healthcare systems
• Immigration and labor rights
• The impact of immigration on income inequality
• The role of immigration in shaping political ideologies
• Immigration and climate change
• The impact of immigration on technology and innovation
• Immigration and economic development
• The role of immigration in addressing demographic challenges
• Immigration and social mobility
• The impact of immigration on language diversity
• Immigration and social cohesion
• The role of immigration in shaping cultural identity
• Immigration and food culture
• The impact of immigration on public transportation
• Immigration and urban planning
• The role of immigration in revitalizing declining communities
• Immigration and gentrification
• The impact of immigration on small businesses
• Immigration and entrepreneurship
• The role of immigration in addressing labor shortages
• Immigration and education disparities
• The impact of immigration on rural economies
• Immigration and agricultural production
• The role of immigration in addressing healthcare shortages
• Immigration and environmental conservation
• The impact of immigration on social services
• Immigration and income inequality
• The role of immigration in cultural exchange
• Immigration and the arts
• The impact of immigration on sports
• Immigration and media representation
• The role of immigration in shaping public opinion
• Immigration and social media
• The impact of immigration on voting patterns
• Immigration and civic engagement
• The role of immigration in community organizing
• Immigration and social justice movements
• The impact of immigration on political participation
• Immigration and activism
• The role of immigration in shaping public policy
• Immigration and civil rights
• The impact of immigration on political polarization
• Immigration and the role of government
• The role of immigration in international development
• Immigration and conflict resolution
• The impact of immigration on peacebuilding efforts
• Immigration and humanitarian aid
• The role of immigration in addressing global challenges
• Immigration and sustainable development
• The impact of immigration on human rights
• Immigration and social change
• The role of immigration in promoting diversity
• Immigration and cultural preservation
• The impact of immigration on indigenous communities
• Immigration and gender equality
• The role of immigration in addressing social inequalities
• Immigration and intergenerational mobility
• The impact of immigration on social cohesion
• Immigration and social welfare
• The role of immigration in addressing poverty
• Immigration and social justice
• The impact of immigration on human development
• Immigration and social inclusion
• The role of immigration in promoting social progress
• Immigration and social integration
• The impact of immigration on community resilience
• Immigration and disaster response
• The role of immigration in addressing humanitarian crises
• Immigration and conflict prevention
• The impact of immigration on peacebuilding
• Immigration and human security
• The role of immigration in promoting global peace
• Immigration and international cooperation
• The impact of immigration on sustainable development goals
• Immigration and the future of humanity

These are just a few examples of the many immigration essay topics you could explore in your writing. Whether you're interested in the social, economic, political, or cultural aspects of immigration, there is no shortage of compelling topics to explore. So pick a topic that resonates with you, do some research, and start writing!

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240 Immigration Essay Topics

Immigration is a permanent move to a foreign country. It takes place all over the globe, including the United States. It played an important role in history, and it continues to influence society today.

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This article offers a variety of immigration essay topics. They are suitable for college-level works, as well as middle and high school papers.

But first, take a look at our custom writing company . If your task seems overwhelming, we can write an immigration essay for you!

🔝 Top 10 Immigration Topics to Write About

• ✍️ How to Choose a Topic

❓ Top 10 Immigration Research Questions

• ✈️ Legal Immigration
• 🗺️ Illegal Immigration
• 🗽 Immigration in the U.S.
• 🌐 Worldwide Immigration
• 🧳 Personal Immigration
• 🌎 Environmental Migration
• 🎓 Job and Education
• ⚖️ Immigration Pros and Cons

🔍 References

• The harm of immigration policies
• Push and pull factors of immigration
• Immigration as an escape from poverty
• Reproductive health of women immigrants
• Racism in the American housing market
• Mexican economy and the immigration rate
• Immigration increase vs. welfare decrease
• Challenges of immigrant assimilation in the US
• The cause of discrimination towards immigrants
• Immigration detention effects on mental health

✍️ How to Choose an Immigration Topic

The subject of immigration is broad. You can explore it from many points of view. Focus on economics, sociology, or the legal system. Here are a few things to remember as you chose the essay title:

• Use verified up-to-date information. As simple as it seems, it’s essential.
• Do not judge. We cannot know the life story of every immigrant and what they went through.

You may try to approach the subject from the political viewpoint. Or, try to stand in the shoes of someone looking for a better life.

Below you will find many great questions and topics on immigration. Choose the one you like best, and get down to writing!

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• Do expats boost innovations?
• Is terrorism related to immigration?
• How does migration influence culture?
• What is seasonal labor immigration?
• Can immigration reduce global poverty?
• What is the economic effect of refugees?
• How does immigration affect social capital?
• How do immigration control measures vary?
• Is Third World immigration a threat to the US?
• Why do immigration laws differ among the states?

✈️ Legal Immigration Essay Topics

• Pros and cons of sanctuary cities
• Modern immigration policy in the UK
• ICE’s policy under Obama vs. Trump
• The process of naturalization in the US
• The importance of the DACA program
• Should the TPS program be permanent?
• Health concerns of illegal immigration
• The effect of immigration on international students
• The difference between an asylum and refugee status
• The Second Industrial Revolution’s impact on immigration
• The role of visas in the modern world.
• Does federal immigration law ensure safety for the U.S. citizens?
• Changes in immigration policies following 9/11 .
• What will happen if the U.S. declares open borders for all countries?
• How is multiculturalism a good thing?
• How much time does it take to complete immigration documents?
• What rights do immigrants have in the U.S.?
• Does congress limit the number of immigrant visas?
• What are the main functions of immigration?
• Why does the U.S. refuse to accept Syrian refugees?
• The majority of immigrants seek to receive the U.S. citizenship.
• Fake marriage for the sake of legal immigration.
• How can immigrants ensure a legal status for their children?
• Why do people applying for U.S. citizenship have to live in America for five years?
• What’s the difference between naturalization and citizenship ?
• Is it fair that children can have citizenship by being born in the U.S.
• What does the government look for in a person before granting them legal status?
• Ways to pass the test for naturalization for a person with disabilities.
• How can children become the U.S. citizens through their parents?
• What are the physical presence requirements for naturalization?
• Steps necessary to prepare for a naturalization test.
• How to reapply for citizenship.
• What is a naturalization ceremony?
• Can a person become a citizen through military service ?
• Do all visas allow legal immigration?

The immigration process should be legal. There is an “Immigration Law” in the U.S. that provides legitimate ways to become an American citizen. In this section, you will find ideas for your research paper or informative essay on legal immigration.

🗺️ Illegal Immigration Essay Topics

According to Washington State Department of Social and Health Services , the main difference between legal and illegal immigration lies in documentation. That’s why illegal immigrants are also called undocumented. The following list can provide an idea for a topic sentence or a thesis statement in a persuasive essay.

• Can there be any valid excuse for immigrating illegally?
• Do undocumented aliens harm the U.S.?
• The overstaying legal migration period is common for illegal immigration.
• What is more valuable for the government: paperwork or people?
• Which countries do most undocumented immigrants come from?
• Human trafficking is a tragedy that feeds illegal immigration.
• Settled undocumented immigrants should still get punished.
• The presence of undocumented immigrants indicates corruption.
• Do illegal immigrants affect the local economy of southern states?
• Does illegal immigration bring American society out of balance?
• The presence of undocumented aliens affects crime rates.
• The issues associated with illegal immigration in America.
• What organizations support illegal immigration?
• Children of immigrants bear the consequences of their parents’ actions.
• Should undocumented immigrants be provided legal help?
• The term “illegal immigrant” must be rejected as offensive.
• Does the problem of illegal immigration feed the issue of racism?
• Undocumented immigrants deserve to be treated with respect.
• The term “ illegal immigrant ” stirs up racial fear in the U.S.
• Does the phrase “No human is illegal” have any truth to it?
• Is illegal immigration a threat to hosts and immigrants?
• Are undocumented aliens treated with hostility by the government?
• Can illegal immigration for personal reasons be justified?
• Should we consider the absence of proper documentation an offense?
• Do the lives of illegal immigrants matter in America?
• Can an undocumented immigrant be considered an American?
• Does the “Drop the I-word” campaign provide valid arguments?
• Is there anything good about illegal immigration?
• Immigration detention brings more harm than good.
• Should the “catch and release” policy function in the U.S.?
• Should a person take a chance to obtain a legal status by entering the country illegally?
• Will the construction of a wall resolve the issue of illegal immigration?
• If America is the land of opportunities , why doesn’t it accept undocumented aliens?
• Does illegal immigration promote terrorism ?
• Should the U.S. government introduce specific policies for elderly immigrants?

🗽 Immigration in the U.S. Topics

Millions of people worldwide want to get a taste of the American Dream. After many decades, America is shaped by the immigrant presence. Think about the cultural components and history of immigration in the U.S. This list may provide you with ideas for thesis topics.

• Should immigrants be allowed to vote?
• Can aliens who received U.S. citizenship be called Americans?
• Should Americans be concerned about the “green card lottery?”
• Mexican immigration as a political controversy.
• Difference between citizenship and a green card.
• The immigrants are fulfilling the labor market demand in the U.S.
• Professional psychologists must cooperate with immigrants.
• Children born to undocumented aliens should receive U.S. citizenship.
• Should there be a mandatory English language test for all immigrants?
• Should resident aliens use international driver licenses in the U.S.?
• Does the U.S. immigration policy need reform?
• From a historical perspective, could the U.S. survive as a country without immigrants?
• Immigration is at the core of American history.
• What were the reasons for the migration wave in the 1960s?
• Homeland security and immigration policy in the U.S.
• How did the 18th-century Chinese emigration influence America?
• The U.S. language policy regarding immigration.
• The 9/11 tragedy changed the way Americans view foreigners.
• Should children of illegal aliens be denied U.S. citizenship?
• How does immigration change life in bigger cities in the U.S.?
• Benefits of the DREAM act.
• Do legal aliens affect the American education system?
• Can a child raised by immigrants in the U.S. be called an American?
• Do Americans move to other countries?
• Immigrants come to the U.S. for religious purposes.

🌐 Worldwide Immigration Topics

History proves that people have always been moving around. Sometimes they immigrate because “the grass is greener on the other side.” But some have to flee their countries as refugees. The U.S and the European Union are receiving large numbers of immigrants. Here are some topic ideas for a paper on immigration worldwide.

• Was border control possible before the invention of visas?
• Syrian children refugees in Canada and ethics of care.
• What benefits does a country receive by granting someone asylum status?
• Can asylees feel safe in their host country?
• What is the difference between the words “immigrant” and “refugee?”
• Refugees need psychological assistance to overcome stress.
• Most refugees hope to come back to their home countries.
• What attitude locals usually have towards emigrants?
• There is a substantial prejudice against immigrants and refugees.
• Should the government invest in education for displaced people?
• The refugee crisis is a growing global issue.
• Assimilation policy as a form of aborigenal control in Australia.
• Wars have been one of the primary reasons for migration throughout history.
• How did 9/11 affect international traveling and global immigration?
• What happens to people who are rejected by the border control service?
• The impact of globalization on immigration control.
• Does Europe benefit or suffer from immigrants?
• The effects high numbers of refugees have on the European economy.
• Does the tourism industry in Europe suffer from the refugee presence?
• Effect of immigration on European history.
• Influence of globalization citizenship in the EU.
• What are the benefits of the asylum status in Europe?
• The effect of the Cold War on global immigration.
• Do most of the refugees in Europe want to receive EU citizenship?
• Does immigration rate vary amongst men and women?

🧳 Personal Immigration Topics

There is a person behind each number on immigration statistics. You may be wondering why somebody would want to leave home. Immigration is a serious step that forever changes one’s life. If you would like to look at the heart of immigration, this section is for you.

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• Should immigration be perceived as an act of courage?
• Can the elderly have a better retirement in other countries?
• Religious persecution as a reason for moving.
• People often immigrate to provide a better life for their children.
• Racial persecution is a valid reason for moving abroad.
• The decision to relocate should have a solid reason behind it.
• Refugee families suffer enormous emotional pressure.
• Health problems are a sufficient reason for immigration.
• Immigration as a way to provide for one’s family is a noble act.
• Parent’s love for their children can motivate them to move abroad.
• Immigrant children and the governmental responsibility.
• People shouldn’t judge the financial instability of refugees.
• Disagreement with the country’s politics can push citizens to move.
• Are certain personality types more likely to immigrate?
• The lack of a sustainable education system in a home country pushes young people to move abroad.
• For some, the only hope for a good life is in immigration.
• Relocation for romantic reasons is common in the modern world.
• Experiences of Lithuanian and Chinese immigrants in America.
• Can relational complications drive people out of their native countries?
• An urge to be free from oppression leads to immigration.
• Loss of a family member can force a person to move abroad.
• Some choose immigration as a way to escape financial responsibility.
• Because of the internet, some people identify with foreign cultures.
• Immigration is a way to change one’s life.
• Athletes choose to relocate to have better conditions for training.

🌎 Environmental Migration Topics

You can define migration as the movement from one place to another. It can happen within or outside country borders. Migration isn’t always permanent. Nature is full of surprises, and sometimes natural disasters occur. Some people don’t have other options but to migrate. This section includes a variety of topics on environmental migration.

• Climate change is a significant reason for migration.
• Should environmental migrants receive a refugee status?
• Countries with significant environmental problems should encourage immigration.
• How many people choose to migrate due to ecological issues?
• Should the border control require documentation from environmental refugees?
• For how long environmental migrants are allowed to stay in the host country?
• Do climate refugees receive support from their host countries?
• Describe the Haitian migration following the 2010 earthquake.
• Migration after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 .
• Chinese citizens migrate due to floods .
• Do Americans move to different states because of ecological issues?
• Documented cases of mass environmental migration throughout history.
• The role of sea-level rise in climate migration.
• How polluted oceans affect human population movement.
• What are the main factors of environmental migration?
• Does the global warming influence migration levels?
• Is the number of climate refugees likely to increase in the future?
• How often do environmental migrants become legal immigrants?
• How can those who have lost their possessions afford to move abroad?
• Which countries receive the most climate migrants?
• Is the status of “environmental refugee” legitimate?
• Do environmental migrants consider going back to their home countries?
• Which organizations provide help to climate migrants worldwide?
• From which countries do people flee the most due to ecological reasons?
• People migrate due to the lack of clean water .

🎓 Immigration Essay Topics: Job and Education

Not all countries have a reliable education system. Sometimes there are not enough resources to provide jobs for everyone. Immigration gives people a chance to pursue a better career path. The following list can inspire your immigration thesis topic.

• Should international students be encouraged to return after graduation?
• Can online job opportunities decrease immigration rates?
• High-quality education in the U.S. attracts immigrants.
• What steps must one take to receive a work visa?
• Religious missionaries should receive governmental support.
• How often do people move to a different country for educational reasons?
• Immigrants in Toronto: social and economic challenges.
• How do institutions check the language abilities of international students ?
• Do all U.S. institutions receive international students?
• What does it take to receive a student visa?
• Cross-cultural management and work abroad.
• Can immigrants find jobs without knowing the local language?
• What are the primary countries people immigrating to for occupational purposes?
• Which countries people are most likely to leave to receive a better education?
• Is America the land of opportunities for immigrants?
• Is it economically sufficient for the U.S. to receive workers from other countries?
• Why are international students willing to pay a high price for education in the U.S. ?
• The industrial revolution caused a wave of immigration.
• Some people move to less developed countries to help with their development.
• Poverty often pushes people to move abroad.
• Immigrants from developing countries aren’t picky when it comes to jobs.
• Do immigrants regret moving to the U.S. if they’re faced with discrimination?
• What’s the average age of international students that are coming to the U.S.?
• Health of expatriates often worsens due to the nature of their jobs.
• Examples from history of people seeking education abroad .

⚖️ Pros and Cons of Immigration: Essay Ideas

There are two sides to the immigration: positive and negative. Think about the economy, food, art, sociology, and politics. Decide what are the benefits and downsides of immigration. The following list of topic ideas on migration will help you with this task.

• International employees fill the gaps in the workforce.
• Foreigners bring a unique perspective that can benefit the host country.
• Some expatriates possess rare skills that can be useful.
• Cuisine of immigrants often becomes popular in the host country.
• International students add numbers to struggling institutions.
• Talented immigrants find themselves useful in a host country.
• Foreigners improve international trade and business.
• International employees are often enthusiastic about their job position.
• Foreigners have an unusual view on life.
• Immigration brings cultural diversity to the host country.
• Foreign presence pushes host countries towards ethnic inclusiveness.
• Immigrants are more willing to take less prestigious jobs.
• People from abroad bring their mentality everywhere they go.
• Children of immigrants can have better opportunities in life.
• The money earned by foreigners in the host country is spent in their home countries.
• Immigration is a channel for the drug industry.
• Immigration gives hope for a brighter future.
• In some cases, aliens take job opportunities from the locals.
• Immigrants tend to increase the crime rate of the hosting country.
• Home countries of immigrants suffer from “brain drain.”
• Foreigners are subject to racial intolerance.
• Immigration causes overcrowding .
• The language barrier creates social complications.
• Immigration takes away the attention of the government.
• Resident aliens might suffer from strained relationships with locals.

We hope this article helped you to choose the topic for your essay. In conclusion, we want to wish you good luck with your assignment!

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• Immigration: Encyclopedia Britannica
• Population Reference Bureau: Trends in Migration to the U.S.
• Myths and Facts about Immigrants and Immigration: Anti Defamation League
• Resident Alien Definition: Investopedia
• Nonresident Aliens: Internal Revenue Service
• Immigration: Cornell Law School
• Citizenship Through Naturalization: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• A Dozen Facts about Immigration: Brookings.edu
• Environmental Displacement and Migration: Environmental Law Institute
• Immigration: ProCon.org
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Research Paper Topics on Immigration

When we talk about immigration, it's not just about moving from one place to another. It's about people seeking better lives and opportunities. As Pope Francis said, migrants are individuals with dreams and aspirations, not merely pieces in a game. Immigration can happen for various reasons, showing that it's a complex issue influenced by different factors.

Similarly, when we look at immigration, we find it's not just about politics. It's connected to many other things like economics, history, Ecology, and how people live together. Immigration affects lots of parts of life, like jobs and how cities grow. It also makes us think about where people come from and how they fit into new places.

So, to truly understand immigration, we need to consider all these different aspects together. In this blog, we'll explore exciting new topics for research papers. We're here to discuss ideas and help you find the perfect topic. Let's dive into discussions to inspire your research journey and uncover intriguing areas of study.

How to choose a topic on Immigration

Let's explore how you can find the right topic for your research paper. Consider these points while searching for the ideal topic:

• Speak with your tutor to find out what is expected of you and to receive advice.
• Examine previous study papers on the internet to obtain concepts and motivation.
• Keep up with immigration-related news and current events.
• Read blogs and articles from credible sources to acquire insights.
• Think about how immigration relates to you, for example, whether you are an immigrant or have family members who are.
• Consider your areas of interest and concentration in academia, such as human rights, social concerns, or economics.
• Make sure your topic provides a new perspective or unique slant.
• Talk to your tutor about your potential topics for comments and further development.
• Select a subject that interests you and that you can study well.

Research Paper Topics on Immigration: Historical Overview

• Examining Immigration's Development: A Historical Overview
• The Migration of Six Million African Americans: Causes, Patterns, and Consequences
• Impact of the Korean War on Korean Immigration Patterns
• Korean War Veterans: Immigration Experiences and Challenges
• Japanese Immigration to the United States: Pre and PostKorean War Era
• Korean War Refugees: Resettlement and Integration in Japan
• The Great Migration's Impact on African American Communities in the U.S.
• Ellis Island Immigration: Challenges and Opportunities for New Arrivals
• The Trail of Tears: Forced Native American Relocation and Its Consequences
• Understanding the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Its Legacy
• The Partition of India: Causes and Outcomes of Dividing a Nation
• Refugee Crisis of World War II: Stories of Survival and Resilience
• The Berlin Wall: Separation, Unity, and Historical Significance
• African Diaspora Communities: Identity and Strengths After Slavery
• Indigenous Peoples' Struggles for Land Rights and Cultural Preservation

Research Paper Topics on Immigration: COVID-19 Impact

•  How did COVID-19 impact global immigration patterns?
•  What challenges did returning migrants face during the pandemic?
•  How did COVID-19 affect refugee movements and border policies?
•  How did Covid 19 affect international students' mobility patterns?
•  What digital solutions emerged for immigration processes during COVID-19?
• International travel restrictions and how they affected immigration trends during the epidemic
• Effects of reduced immigration during the epidemic on the economy
• Modifications to the application and processing processes for visas during the pandemic
• COVID-19's Effects on enterprises Owned by immigrants
• Food insecurity in immigrant households during lockdowns
• Language accessibility concerns at COVID-19 testing and immunization locations
• COVID19 pandemics in immigration detention facilities
• Immigrant communities' Access to legal aid during COVID-19
• COVID-19's effects on immigrant support systems and mental health services
• The Impact of COVID-19 on International immigration laws and reforms

Research Paper Topics on Immigration: Politics and Policy

• Impact of Immigration Policies on Migrant Integration
• Lobbying Groups and Immigration Legislation
• Youth Migration and Policy Responses
• Examine the role of immigration in national narratives.
• Humanitarian Crises and Immigration Policies
• Legalization Programs for Undocumented Immigrants
• Ageing Populations and Immigration Policy
• Health Policy and Immigrant Access to Healthcare
• Comparative Analysis of Immigration Policies in Different Countries
• Human Rights and Immigration: Balancing Security and Liberty
• What impact do immigrant populations have on national politics?
• Sanctuary Cities: Local Governance and Immigration Enforcement
• The Politics of Border Walls and Security Barriers: Symbolism vs. Effectiveness
• Discuss how language and immigration politics connect.
• Threats from Terrorism and the Function of Immigration Laws in Reducing Risks

Research Paper Topics on Immigration and Physical Health

• Access to Healthcare for Immigrant Communities: Challenges and Solutions
• Health Insurance Coverage for Immigrants: Implications for Equity
• Overcoming Language Barriers in Medical Settings: Strategies for Effective Communication
• Promoting Health and Wellness in Immigrant Children through School-Based Programs
• Environmental Health Risks in Immigrant Communities: Housing, Pollution, and Neighborhood Impacts
• Ensuring Nutritional Security Among Immigrants: Access to Healthy Food and Support Programs
• Preventive Healthcare Measures for Immigrant Children: Vaccination and Screening Programs
• Addressing Maternal and Child Health Needs in Immigrant Communities
• Chronic Disease Management in Immigrant Populations: Challenges and Interventions
• Occupational Health and Safety Concerns for Immigrant Workers
• Access to Reproductive Healthcare Services for Immigrant Women
• Barriers to Dental Care Access Among Immigrant Populations
• Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Strategies for Immigrant Families
• Integrating Traditional Medicine Practices into Immigrant Healthcare
• Enhancing Access to Emergency Medical Services for Immigrant Communities

Research Paper Topics on Immigration: Environmental Issues

• Climate Change and Forced Migration: Adapting Policies to Protect Environmental Refugees
• Strategies for Sustainable Development in Coastal Cities Facing Climate Migration
• Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Biodiversity Preservation: Integrating Traditional Knowledge
• Addressing Environmental Pressures in Urban Areas: Sustainable Migration Policies
• Collaborative Approaches to Water Management Amid Migration Trends
• Legal Protections for Environmental Refugees: Bridging International Law Gaps
• Agricultural Sustainability in the Face of RuralUrban Migration
• Effective Disaster Response Strategies for Displaced Communities
• Harmonizing Conservation Goals with Humanitarian Needs in Border Policies
• Harnessing Renewable Energy to Foster Community Resilience Amid Migration
• Promoting Ecosystem Restoration to Mitigate Displacement Effects
• Integrating Environmental Considerations into Migration Policy Frameworks
• Strengthening CrossBorder Cooperation for Environmental Migration Management
• Investing in Green Infrastructure to Support Migrant Communities
• Empowering Local Communities in Climate Adaptation and Migration Planning

Research Paper Topics on Immigration: Economic Impacts

• Effects of Immigration on Local Economies: Employment, Housing, and Public Services
• Entrepreneurship among Immigrants: Innovation, Job Creation, and Economic Growth
• Brain Drain and Brain Gain: Implications for Sending and Receiving Countries
• Immigrant Entrepreneurship in HighTech Industries: Silicon Valley and Beyond
• Immigrant Women in the Workforce: Challenges, Opportunities, and Economic Empowerment
• Economic Consequences of AntiImmigrant Policies: Costs of Enforcement and Border Controls
• Immigration, Innovation, and Productivity: The Role of Diversity in Economic Performance
• The Economics of Immigration Reform: Costs, Benefits, and Policy TradeOffs
• Immigration and Aging Populations: Implications for Labor Markets and Social Security
• Economic Impacts of Immigration Policies: Lessons from Comparative Analysis
• Economic Mobility among Immigrant Communities: Barriers and Facilitators
• Global Talent Flows: Immigration's Impact on Innovation and Economic Competitiveness
• Human Capital Formation and Skilled Migration: Challenges and Opportunities
• Immigrant Contributions to Economic Growth: Evidence from Case Studies
• Economic Integration of Refugees: Strategies for Sustainable Development

Research Paper Topics: Illegal Immigration

• Root Causes of Illegal Immigration: Economic, Social, and Political Factors
• Impact of Border Security Measures on Illegal Immigration Patterns
• Humanitarian Crisis: Challenges and Responses
• Economic Impacts of Illegal Immigration on Host Countries
• Criminalization of Immigration: Legal and Ethical Considerations
• Detention and Deportation Policies: Human Rights Concerns
• Labour Exploitation and Illegal Immigration: Addressing Worker Vulnerability
• Immigration Enforcement Strategies: Effectiveness and Implications
• Community Responses to Illegal Immigration: Integration vs. Exclusion
• Public Opinion on Illegal Immigration: Perception vs. Reality
• Human Trafficking and Illegal Immigration: Intersections and Solutions
• Shelter Cities: Regional Guidelines and Debates
• Education Access for Undocumented Immigrant Youth: Policy Challenges
• Health Care Access for Undocumented Immigrants: Barriers and Solutions
• Immigration Amnesty Programs: Rationale, Implementation, and Outcomes

In conclusion, immigration has a long history and is a result of an array of situations, including conflicts and employment opportunities. Beyond just affecting human mobility, its effects are felt globally in the fields of healthcare, mental health, politics, the environment, and economics. To address these complexities, it is essential to guarantee universal access to healthcare and mental health assistance, adeptly navigate political obstacles, attend to environmental issues, and understand the financial implications. By working together and thoroughly researching these areas, the community can create policies that support justice, safeguard human rights, and promote universal advancement.

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Immigration in America

• Research Immigration

Start Learning About Your Topic

Create research questions to focus your topic, find books @ the mjc library, featured books, find articles in library databases, find current news articles on immigration, videos on immigration, find web resources, cite your sources, key search words.

Use the words below to search for useful information in   books and articles .

• immigration
• illegal aliens
• illegal immigration
• legal immigration
• undocumented workers
• birthright citizenship

Background Reading:

It's important to begin your research learning something about your subject; in fact, you won't be able to create a focused, manageable thesis unless you already know something about your topic.

This step is important so that you will:

• Begin building your core knowledge about your topic
• Be able to put your topic in context
• Create research questions that drive your search for information
• Create a list of search terms that will help you find relevant information
• Know if the information you’re finding is relevant and useful.

All of these resources are free for MJC students, faculty, & staff.

• Issues and Controversies: Immigration Recent pro/con articles on immigration issues
• CQ Researcher: Immigrantion Overhaul See also sidebar on the right of the Immigration Overhaul article for additional related articles on the immigration issue.
• Immigration and Migration: In Context A two volume encyclopedia that provides readers with key data to understand the roots of the issues that make contemporary migration and immigration so contentious around the globe.
• Encyclopedia of American Immigration A three volume eEncyclopedia that covers the full depth and breadth of American immigration history—from the arrival of the early ancestors of Native Americans to a broad range of twenty-first century immigration issues.

Immigration is a complex issue that involves the law, the economy, and politics. You could concentrate on one issue and do in-depth research on that, or use several of the questions below to focus more generally on the topic of immigration.

• What is the history of immigration in America?
• Is immigration a serious problem in America?
• What are the laws regulating immigration in America?
• What are the issues involved in the enforcement of immigration laws?
• Why do immigrants come to America illegally?
• What are the economic affects of illegal immigration?
• What are the pros and cons of passing the Dream Act for undocumented students?
• Should Congress make it easier for people who immigrated illegally to become citizens? 

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Use books to read broad overviews and detailed discussions of your topic. You can also use books to find  primary sources , which are often published together in collections.  

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If you need materials (books, articles, recordings, videos, etc.) that you cannot find in the library catalog , use our  interlibrary loan service .

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Search using the Key Search Words in this guide, or use words more specific to your topic.

• Gale Databases This link opens in a new window Search over 35 databases simultaneously that cover almost any topic you need to research at MJC. Gale databases include articles previously published in journals, magazines, newspapers, books, and other media outlets.
• EBSCOhost Databases This link opens in a new window Search 22 databases simultaneously that cover almost any topic you need to research at MJC. EBSCO databases include articles previously published in journals, magazines, newspapers, books, and other media outlets.
• Access World News This link opens in a new window Search the full-text of editions of record for local, regional, and national U.S. newspapers as well as full-text content of key international sources. This is your source for The Modesto Bee from January 1989 to the present. Also includes in-depth special reports and hot topics from around the country. To access The Modesto Bee , limit your search to that publication. more... less... Watch this short video to learn how to find The Modesto Bee .

Find videos and documentaries about immigration in Films on Demand .  These film resources are free for MJC students, faculty, & staff. 

Type immigration  in the search box to access videos on this topic.

• Films on Demand This link opens in a new window Use Films on Demand when you want educational video content. This streaming video collection contains unlimited, 24/7 access to thousands of videos. Teachers can embed videos in Canvas. In addition, there are mobile options for iPad and Android. more... less... Instructions for embedding Films on Demand into Canvas .
• Kanopy This link opens in a new window Kanopy is a video streaming database with a broad selection of over 26,000 documentaries, feature films and training videos from thousands of producers. Instructions for embedding Kanopy into Canvas .

Use Google Scholar to find scholarly literature on the Web:

Browse Featured Web Sites:

• Migration Policy Institute "The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank in Washington, DC dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide."
• Pew Hispanic Center "The Pew Hispanic Center is a nonpartisan research organization that seeks to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the nation. The Center does not take positions on policy issues."
• U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States."
• U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "ICE's primary mission is to promote homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade, and immigration."
• U. S. Customs and Border Protection "CBP has a responsibility for securing the border and facilitating lawful international trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws and regulations, including immigration and drug laws."
• MALDEF The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the nation's leading Latino civil rights organization, has many resources on immigration issues.
• Immigrant Resource Law Center The ILRC trains attorneys, paralegals, and community-based advocates who work with immigrants around the country. They inform the media, elected officials, and public to shape immigration policy and law.

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Immigration to the United States: Recent Trends and Future Prospects +

Charles hirschman.

University of Washington

Almost 13 per cent of the American population is foreign born, and if the children of the foreign born are included, about 1 in 4 Americans can be counted as part of the recent immigrant community. Although there is lingering prejudice and popular fears of immigrants, there is growing evidence that, on balance, immigrants make a positive contribution to the American economy and society. There is little evidence that immigrants have an adverse impact on the wages and employment of native born Americans. Moreover, immigrants and their children are disproportionately represented in a broad variety of scientific and cultural fields.

1. Introduction

The United States is, once again, in the midst of an age of immigration. In 2010, there were 40 million foreign-born persons living in the United States ( Grieco et al. 2012 ). Of the 220 million international migrants in the world in 2010—defined as persons living outside their country of birth—almost one in five were residents in the United States ( UN Population Division 2013 ). An even larger number, upwards of 75 million persons in the United States—almost one quarter of the current resident American population— is part of the immigrant community, defined as foreign born and the children of the foreign born ( U.S. Bureau of the Census 2010 ). 1

In spite of lingering prejudice and discrimination against immigrants, most Americans are beginning to acknowledge the positive contributions of immigrants. These beliefs are partially rooted in the historical image of the United States as a ‘nation of immigrants.’ The story that America was populated by peoples seeking economic opportunity, fleeing injustice or oppression in their homeland, and hoping for a better life for their children has a strong grip on the American immigration. Moreover, there is a growing body of research that shows that most immigrants do assimilate to American society and that immigration has net positive impacts on the American economy, society, and culture.

In this paper, I survey the trends in immigration to the United States with a focus on the most recent period—the Post 1965 Wave of Immigration, named for the reforms in immigration law that were enacted in the late 1960s as part of the Civil Rights revolution. I also review recent research on the demographic, economic, social, and cultural impact of immigration on American society.

2. Trends in Immigration to the United States

Figure 1 shows the history of the absolute and relative levels of the foreign born population in the United States. The histogram—the solid bars—shows the numbers (in millions) of foreign born persons in the country from 1850 to 2012. The foreign born includes everyone who is born outside the United States, including students and workers residing here temporarily. This category also includes many undocumented immigrants—those residing in the country illegally. The curved line shows the ratio of foreign born persons to the total US population in each decennial census from 1850 to 2000 and the comparable figures for recent years from the American Community Survey.

Source: US Bureau of Census, Census of Population, 1850–2000 (in Gibson and Jung, 2006 ), and American Community Survey, 2010.

The absolute number of the foreign born population rose rapidly from the mid-19th century through the early decades of the 20th century—popularly known as the ‘Age of Mass Migration.’ With the cessation of large-scale immigration after 1924, the absolute numbers of foreign born declined to below 10 million by 1970. With the renewal of immigration in recent decades, the number of foreign born persons has risen dramatically and is currently around 40 million.

The visibility of the foreign born—at work, in schools, and in neighbourhoods—is measured by the proportion of foreign born to the total population, that is, the curved line in Figure 1 . It is to be noted that the contemporary presence of immigrants is actually less than it was in the early 20 th century. For most of the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, the foreign born constituted around 14 to 15 per cent of the American population. Then, during the middle decades of the 20 th century, the figure dropped precipitously to below 5 per cent in 1970. With the renewal of mass immigration after 1965, the percent foreign born is currently 13 per cent of the total population. While this figure is high relative to the period from 1950 to 1970, it is slightly below the proportion of foreign born for much of American history.

The ‘Post-1965 Immigration Wave,’ was named for the 1965 immigration law that repealed the ‘national origins quotas’ enacted in the 1920s. These quotas were considered discriminatory by the children and grandchildren of Southern and Eastern European immigrants, and the 1965 immigration legislation was part of the reforms of the Civil Rights era. The advocates of reform in the 1960s were not pushing for a major new wave of immigration; they expected a small increase in the number of arrivals from Italy, Greece, and a few other European countries, as families that were divided by the immigration restrictions of the 1920s were allowed to be reunited ( Reimrs 1985 : Chap. 3).

Family reunification and scarce occupational skills were the primary criteria for admission under the 1965 Act ( Keely 1979 ). The new preference system allowed highly skilled professionals, primarily doctors, nurses, and engineers from Asian countries, to immigrate and eventually to sponsor their families. About the same time, and largely independently of the 1965 Act, immigration from Latin America began to rise. Legal and undocumented migration from Mexico surged after a temporary farm worker programme, known as the Bracero Programme, ended in 1964 ( Massey, Durand and Malone 2002 ). There have also been major waves of immigration to the United States with the fall of regimes supported by American political and military interventions abroad, including Cuba, Vietnam, and Central America. Each of these streams of immigrant and refugee inflows has spawned secondary waves of immigration as family members have followed.

3. Characteristics of the Post-1965 Wave of Immigrants

Most of the immigrants who arrived from 1880 to 1920 during the Age of Mass Migration were from Southern and Eastern Europe, including Italy, Germany, Poland, and Russia. Many of these ‘new’ immigrants in the early 20 th century were considered to be distinctly different from the older stock of white Americans in terms of language, religion, and in their potential for assimilation into American society. Popular opposition to immigration in the early 20 th century led to the laws of the 1920s that sharply restricted immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe. There were much smaller waves of immigration from China and Japan, but even stronger opposition ended Asian immigration in the late 19 th and early 20 th century.

When the doors to immigration were opened again in the years after 1965, only small numbers of Europeans arrived. The major regions of origin in the Post-1965 Wave of Immigration are Latin America and Asia. More than 11 million—about 30 per cent of all immigrants (foreign born)—are from Mexico, one of the nearest neighbours of the United States. Another 20 per cent of immigrants are from other countries in Latin America, with the largest numbers from Central America and the Caribbean. Migrants from Puerto Rico are domestic migrants, not immigrants, since Puerto Rico is an American territory and all Puerto Ricans are American citizens at birth.

About one quarter of the foreign-born are from Asia, and the relative share of Asian immigrants has risen in recent years. One of the hallmarks of contemporary Asian immigration is its diversity—almost every country in Asia is represented in the American immigrant population. The largest Asian immigrant communities in the U. S. are from China, India, and the Philippines, but there are also considerable numbers from Vietnam, Korea, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

In the 1970s and 1980s, most ‘new immigrants’ settled in the West and East coast states, and a few other selected states, including Texas, Florida, and Illinois. About 40 per cent of all immigrants lived in California and New York. In the 1990s and 2000s, immigrants increasingly began settling in new destinations including smaller towns in the Midwest and Southeast. The majority of immigrants still live in California, New York, and other traditional destinations, but industries are attracting immigrant labour to many other regions. In addition to the high tech sectors and universities that attract highly skilled immigrants, less skilled immigrants are drawn to agriculture, food processing, and manufacturing industries that are often shunned by native born workers.

The distribution of education among recent immigrants to the United States is bimodal. The largest group of immigrants, particularly those from Mexico and Central America, has less education, on average, than the native-born American population. Less education, however, is not equivalent to unskilled labour. Many immigrants without a high school degree are able to work in the skilled construction industry, nursing homes caring for the elderly, and in the service sectors in restaurants, hotels, and gardening.

At the other end of the educational continuum are the highly educated immigrant streams from Taiwan, India, Iran, and many African countries. Almost half of Asian immigrants have a university degree compared to only a third of native born Americans. Many of these highly skilled immigrants fill key niches in the high tech sector, higher education, and many professional fields.

4. Popular Fears of Too Much Immigration

Existing alongside the pride of having immigrant grandparents (or great-grandparents) in the ‘nation of immigrants,’ many Americans fear that the United States has more immigrants than the country can absorb and assimilate. There are widespread popular beliefs that immigrants take jobs that would otherwise go to native born Americans and that the wages of native born workers are depressed by the presence of immigrant workers. Beyond the economic argument, many Americans also think that the presence of immigrants, especially large numbers of immigrants from ‘third world’ countries, are a threat to American values, culture, and institutions ( Bouvier 1992 ; Brimelow 1995 ; Huntington 2004 ). These sentiments have given rise to an anti-immigrant lobby that includes political leaders, TV and radio talk-show pundits, social movement organisations, including public interest organisations that publish reports and policy briefs, as well as unauthorised militia groups that patrol the U.S. Mexican border, such as the ‘Minutemen’.

Neither the presence of large numbers of immigrants nor the exaggerated claims about the negative impact of immigration are new phenomena. In 1751, Benjamin Franklin complained about the Germans in Pennsylvania and their reluctance to learn English ( Archdeacon 1983 : 20; Jones 1992 : 39–40). Based on a campaign of fear about the political dangers of unchecked immigration, primarily Irish Catholics, the ‘Know-Nothing’Party elected six governors, dominated several state legislatures, and sent a bloc of representatives to Congress in 1855. During World War I, Americans who wanted to retain their German-American identity were forced to be ‘100 percent Americans’ and to give up their language and culture ( Higham 1988 : Chap. 8).

In the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, Chinese and Japanese migrants who worked as railroad and agricultural labourers were targeted by nativist groups who feared that Asian immigrants would harm the economic status of native workers and contaminate the ‘racial purity’ of the nation ( Hing 1993 : 22). The passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act was the first major step toward a closed society. After the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, Japanese migrants became a new source of cheap labour on the West coast and Hawaii. Japanese immigration was targeted by the same groups that opposed Chinese immigrants.

Southern and Eastern European groups also faced an increasingly hostile context of reception as their numbers swelled at the turn of the twentieth century. A number of formal organisations sprang up among old line New England elites to campaign against the continued immigration of ‘undesirables’ from Europe ( Higham 1988 ; Jones 1992 : Chap. 9). After a long political struggle, Congress passed restrictive laws in the early 1920s that stopped almost all immigration except from Northwestern Europe.

5. Do Immigrants Assimilate into American Society?

In spite of the fears that immigrants are resistant to learning English and refuse to join the American mainstream, there is a large body of social science and historical research which concludes that immigrants have, by and large, assimilated to American society ( Alba 1990 , Alba and Nee 2003 ; Duncan and Duncan 1968 ; Lieberson 1980 ). This does not mean that assimilation was painless, automatic, or immediate. For the first generation of immigrants who arrived as adults, the processes of linguistic, cultural, and social change were painful and usually incomplete. Immigrants tend to settle in ethnic enclaves, prefer to speak their mother tongue, and gravitate to places of worship and social events that provide cultural continuity with their origins ( Handlin 1973 ; Portes and Rumbaut 2006 ). Many immigrants do learn English and find employment in the general economy, but few feel completely part of their new society. In the early decades of the 20 th century, evidence pointed to the slow and incomplete assimilation of the then ‘new’ immigrants ( Pagnini and Morgan 1990 ).

With the passage of time, and especially following the emergence of the second generation, there was unmistakable evidence of assimilation among the descendants of early 20 th century European immigrants. Acculturated through their attendance at American schools, the children of immigrants did not share the ambivalence of their immigrant parents. The second generation spoke fluent English and was eager to join the American mainstream. By all measures, including socio-economic status, residential mobility, and intermarriage, they left behind the ethnic world of their immigrant parents ( Alba and Nee 2003 ; Lieberson 1980 ). By the 1950s, patterns of suburbanisation broke down ethnic neighborhoods and intermarriage became more common ( Alba and Nee 2003 ; Lieberson and Waters 1988 ).

Although it is widely assumed that immigrants in the Post-1965 Immigration Wave are less likely to assimilate than those who arrived in the early 20 th century, there is growing evidence that the new immigrants, especially their children, are doing remarkably well ( Alba and Nee 2003 ; Kasinitz et al. 2008 ). On average, second generation immigrants are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to attend college than the average native born American ( Hirschman 2001 ; White and Glick 2009 ). Intermarriage is also common: recent research estimates that one-third to one-half of second generation Hispanics and Asians marry outside of their community ( Duncan and Trejo 2007 ; Min and Kim 2009 ). The children of contemporary immigrants are on track for assimilation and upward mobility at about the same pace as the descendants of earlier waves of immigration from Europe.

6. The Impact of Immigration on America

There are widespread popular beliefs, including many influential voices within public policy circles, which argue that immigration is harmful to the economic welfare of the country, especially to native born Americans ( Borjas 1994 ; Bouvier 1992 ; Briggs 1984 ; Brimelow 1995 ). The central claim is that immigrants, because they are willing to work for lower wages, take jobs from native born American workers. Competition from immigrant workers is expected to depress wages, especially in the low-skilled labour market ( Borjas 1989 ). Finally, immigrants are thought to be an economic burden because they disproportionately receive public benefits, such as health care, schooling, and welfare without paying their fair share of taxes. These claims, however, are not supported by empirical evidence.

The definitive statement on the economic consequences of immigration was the 1997 report of the National Research Council (NRC) panel on the demographic and economic impacts of immigration, which drew on the theoretical and empirical research conducted by leading specialists in labour economics and public finance ( Smith and Edmonston 1997 ; 1998 , also see Card 1990 ; 2005 ). The major conclusion of the NRC report was that the net effects of immigration on the American economy were very modest. Immigration does expand labour supply and may increase competition for jobs and lower wages for native workers who are substitutes for immigrants, but immigration also expands total production (national income) and increases the incomes that accrue to native born workers who are complements to immigrants ( Smith and Edmondson 1997 : Chap. 4). Although some native born workers may compete for the same jobs as immigrants, many more may be complements to immigrants. This means that the arrival of unskilled immigrant labour may ‘push up’, rather than ‘push out’, many native born workers ( Haines 2000 : 202; Lieberson 1980 : Chap. 10). Moreover, many native born workers have direct or indirect income from capital through their savings, ownership of property, and as recipients of pension programmes.

The most likely reason for a lack of empirical support for the presumed negative impact of immigration is the questionable assumption that the only impact of additional workers (immigrants) on the labour market is through wage competition. The presence of immigrants has broader effects on economic growth, both locally and nationally, that leads to rising wage levels for native born workers. Among the potential mechanisms are increased national savings, entrepreneurship and small business development, a faster rate of inventive activity and technological innovation, and increasing economies of scale, both in the production and consumer markets ( Carter and Sutch 1999 ). There is a long-standing hypothesis in economic history that high levels of immigration stimulates economic growth by increasing demand for housing, urban development, and other amenities ( Easterlin 1968 ). A recent study found that immigration provided the necessary labour supply for the rapid growth of manufacturing during the American Industrial Revolution from 1880 to 1920 ( Hirschman and Mogford 2009 ).

Another major economic issue addressed by the 1997 NRC report was the impact of immigration on the governmental fiscal system—the balance between taxes paid and the value of government services received ( Clune 1998 ; Garvey and Espendshade 1998 ; Lee and Miller 1998 ; Smith and Edmonston 1997 : Chaps. 6 & 7). The NRC researchers report that the average native born household in New Jersey and California pays more in state and local taxes as a result of the presence of immigrants ( Smith and Edmonston 1997 : Chap. 6). These results are largely determined by the lower wages of immigrants and the demographic composition of immigrant households, which tend to be younger and have more children than the native born population. The largest component of local and state government budgets is schooling, and immigrant households, with more children per household than native born households, are disproportionately beneficiaries of state support for schooling.

Despite potential imbalances in the net transfer of revenues at the local and state level, an accounting of the federal fiscal system shows that immigrants (and their descendants) contribute more in taxes than they receive in benefits ( Smith and Edmonston 1997 : Chap. 7). Just as the age structure of immigrant households makes them disproportionately the beneficiaries of public education, the relative youth of immigrants also means they are less likely be beneficiaries of Social Security and Medicare (and Medicaid for many of the institutionalised elderly). Immigrants also help to relieve the per-capita fiscal burden of native born for the national debt, national security, and public goods, which are major federal expenditures that are only loosely tied to population size. An intergenerational accounting that counts the future taxes paid by the children of immigrants concludes that immigration helps, rather than hurts, the nation’s fiscal balance ( Lee and Miller 1998 ; Smith and Edmonston 1997 ; Chap. 7).

6.1 The Role of Immigration on the Advancement of Science, Technology and Higher Education

Scientific progress is a major source of modern economic growth, increasing longevity and other features of modern development that enhance the quality of life in the United States. It is frequently claimed that American economic development has been fostered by government investments in scientific and technological innovation in the industrial sector, as well as in universities and research institutes. How might immigration also affect scientific progress? Perhaps the most direct link is the migration of scientists from other countries and the high educational attainment of immigrants and their children.

Albert Einstein, perhaps the most eminent American scientist of the 20 th century, was a refugee from Nazi Germany. There are many other examples of distinguished scientists, researchers, academics, and entrepreneurs who arrived in the United States as students who pursued their talents in American universities and/or industry, including Enrico Fermi, Edward Teller, and Hans Bethe, the fathers of the atomic age, Elias Zerhouni, former director of the National Institutes of Health, and Andrew Grove, Jerry Yang, and Sergey Brin, the engineering entrepreneurs who led the American transition to the digital age. From 1990 to 2004, over one-third of US scientists who had received Nobel Prizes were foreign born ( Wulf 2006 ; also see Smith and Edmonston 1977 : 384–385).

The impact of immigration on the development of science in the United States is more than the story of a relatively open door for immigrants who are exceptionally talented scientists and engineers. Over the last four decades, American universities have played an important role in training immigrants and the children of immigrants to become scientists. Foreign students have become increasingly central to American higher education, particularly in graduate education in engineering and the sciences. After graduating with advanced degrees from American universities, many foreign students return to their home countries, but a significant share is attracted to employment opportunities in American universities, laboratories, and industries. Many of the foreign students who have become permanent residents or US citizens go on to make important contributions to the development of American science and engineering.

Several recent studies have found that foreign-born scientists and engineers are playing a critical role in in American universities, laboratories, and scientific industries ( Stephan and Levin 2007 ; Sana 2010 ). Foreign-born scientists and engineers are also over-represented among members of elected honorific societies such as the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences, and among the authors of highly cited academic papers ( Stephan and Levin 2007 ). During the last decades of the twentieth century, immigrant entrepreneurs formed a significant contingent of all founders of US high-technology start-ups, particularly in Silicon Valley ( Saxenian 2001 ). One recent study estimates that one in four technology firms started in the United States between 1995 and 2005 was founded by at least one foreign-born entrepreneur ( Wadwha et al. 2007 ).

6.2 The Impact of Immigrants on the Evolution of American Institutions

All other things being equal, most societies, communities, organisations and cultures tend to resist change, especially from outside sources. The truism that ‘people prefer that which is familiar’ is reinforced by persons with authority, power, and status, who generally shape cultural expectations to revere conformity more than innovation. This pattern, an ‘ideal type’ to be sure, is especially common in traditional rural areas, among multi-generational families, and in religious and cultural organisations.

There are, of course, many exceptions to this pattern, especially during eras of rapid technological and social change, wartime, and other times of catastrophe. The simple proposition of cultural continuity helps to explain the generally conservative nature of intergenerational socialisation and the ubiquity of ethnocentrism—beliefs that value insiders and traditional culture more than outsiders. In traditional (and in many modern) societies, immigrants are feared because they might potentially challenge the existing social arrangements as well as familiar cultural patterns.

All things have not been equal during much of American history. The United States has received about 75 million immigrants since record-keeping began in 1820. This relatively open door was due to a confluence of interests, both external and internal. As modernisation spread throughout the Old World during the 18 th and 19 th centuries, the (relatively) open frontier beckoned the landless and others seeking economic betterment. These patterns culminated in the early 20 th century, when more than one million immigrants arrived annually—a level that is only being rivaled by contemporary levels of immigration. American economic and political institutions also gained from immigration. Immigrant settlement helped to secure the frontier as well as to provide labour for nation-building projects, including transportation networks of roads, canals, and railroads. During the era of industrialisation, immigrant labour provided a disproportionate share of workers for the dirty and dangerous jobs in mining and manufacturing ( Hirschman and Mogford 2009 ).

In spite of the national tradition of mass immigration, new arrivals have rarely received a welcome reception. The conservative backlash against immigrants has been a perennial theme of American history. During the Age of Mass Migration, the negative reaction against immigrants was not simply a response from the parochial masses, but also a project led by conservative intellectuals. Long before immigration restrictions were implemented in the 1920s, there was a particularly virulent campaign against the ‘new’ immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. Most of these immigrants were Catholics and Jews—religious and cultural traditions that were thought to be in conflict with the traditional ascendancy of white Protestants of English ancestry.

As most Northeastern and Midwestern cities became dominated by immigrants (both first and second generations) in the late 19 th century, many elite old-stock American families and communities created barriers to protect their ‘aristocratic’ status and privileges against newcomers ( Higham 1988 ). Residential areas became ‘restricted,’ college fraternities and sororities limited their membership, and many social clubs and societies only allowed those with the right pedigrees and connections to be admitted ( Baltzell 1964 ). Barriers to employment for minorities, especially Jews, were part of the culture of corporate law firms and elite professions ( Auerbach 1975 : Chap. 2). In the early 20 th century, many elite private universities were notorious for their quotas for Jewish students and their refusal to hire Jews and other minorities ( Baltzell 1964 : 336; Karabel 2006 ). In some cases, these quotas persisted until the 1960s.

Given this history, how were immigrants and their children able to make such impressive achievements to American science, arts, and culture? Part of the solution to this puzzle is that immigrants, and especially their children, were pulled into self-employment and new sectors of the economy where there was less discrimination. As noted above, prestigious organisations that celebrated tradition tended to be closed to outsiders. The early 20 th century was an era of rapid demographic, economic, and technological change. Rapid social change creates more flexibility and openness for outsiders to be absorbed into mainstream institutions.

The market for cultural and artistic performances was greatly expanded with the growth of cities in the early 20 th century. A significant share of the urban population, the potential consumers of art and culture, were of immigrant stock. The most important development of this era was the motion picture industry—a new form of the performing arts. In the 1920s, immigrant risk-takers, primarily Eastern European Jewish immigrants, transformed the fledgling motion picture industry with the development of large Hollywood studios. Although the new Hollywood moguls sought to create movies that appealed to mass audiences and ignored any hint of ethnicity or religion, their presence may have minimised traditional prejudices and discrimination among those who worked in Hollywood. Irving Howe characterised the openness of the performing arts (and sports) to talented outsiders:

… “the (entertainment industry) brushed aside claims of rank and looked only for the immediate promise of talent. Just as blacks would later turn to baseball and basketball knowing that here at least their skin color counted for less than their skills, so in the early 1900s, young Jews broke into vaudeville because here too, people asked not, who are you? but, what can you do?”

This openness is reinforced in fields and professions where talent and accomplishment are clearly recognised and visible, including professional sports and universities. Prior to World War II, competition was restricted in many institutions with barriers to admission and hiring. Professional baseball was closed to African Americans and elite universities restricted the admission of Jews and other minorities. In spite of these tendencies, many American institutions have become more open and meritocratic over the 20 th century. Baseball and other professional sports were integrated before most other institutions, including public school education. In recent decades, American professional sports have become more global, with a growing participation of talented international players. This trend is driven, in large part, by competition. Sports fans want winning teams, and large audiences increase revenues. The owners and management of sports teams respond to market pressures by recruitment of talented players from other countries. Similar processes are at work in universities and scientific organisations. More talented researchers generate more grants, more patents, and more commercial applications of scientific discoveries. The global search for talented graduate students and researchers by elite American universities and research organisations is driven by competitive pressures that have accelerated in recent decades. Other fields where merit is relatively easy to measure, such as in classical musical performance, have also become part of a global employment market.

There are similar competitive pressures in many American corporations and business for talented employees, but there are certainly wide variations depending on the pace of technological change, international market competition, and the ability to measure merit. Traditional manufacturing sectors of the economy, automobiles for example, may focus more on continuity, advertising, and efficiency than technological innovation. Other sectors, such as the electronic and computing industry are more at the forefront of technological innovation and international competition. It seems likely that these more competitive sectors, perhaps exemplified by Silicon Valley, would be the most meritocratic and willing to hire outsiders—immigrants and foreign students who have the necessary skills.

The same processes of competition certainly affected the development of Hollywood, Broadway, and many other American performing and cultural arts. Audience preferences may have tended toward familiar cultural content, but there was undoubtedly strong market pressure for ‘quality’, however defined. There was also considerable room for innovation in artistic and cultural performance in a pluralistic society with relatively few cultural touchstones. Immigrants and their children played important roles in the development of culture and art in 20 th century America, just as they have in science and academic institutions.

My contention is that the presence of immigrants and their offspring has helped to ‘push’ American institutions in the direction of increasing openness and meritocracy. This has not always been a smooth or conflict-free process. When Jewish students appeared in large numbers in leading American universities in the early 20 th century, they were deemed rate-busters who upset the traditional college student culture, which de-emphasised too much study or serious scholarly interests.

The growing number of talented Jewish students, mostly second generation immigrants, certainly raised the standards at universities that did not discriminate. As universities began to compete for faculty and graduate students during the post-World War II era, the quota restrictions eventually disappeared ( Karabel 2006 ). Elite colleges and universities still retain legacies of non-merit based admission systems, including programmes to privilege children of alumni. There is also evidence that Asian American students have not been admitted in numbers proportional to their test scores ( Espenshade and Chung 2005 ), but these current practices are only a shadow of those of earlier times. The point is not that universities are completely meritocratic, but that they have become more meritocratic with increasing competition and acceptance of talented ‘outsiders.’

Greater openness to hiring and promotion on the basis of merit has become an integral part of many American institutions in recent years. The reputation of the United States as a land of opportunity for those with ambition and ability—a theme in many Hollywood movies—made the country a beacon for prospective immigrants. In addition to raising the international stature of the United States, the participation of talented immigrants and their children has likely made American scientific and cultural institutions more successful.

7. Conclusions

Contemporary immigration to the United States, upwards of one million new arrivals per year, is not exceptional. In fact, the relative share of immigrants—about 13 per cent—is a bit lower than the 14 to 15 per cent that characterised much of American history prior to the 1920s. Absorbing large numbers of newcomers has costs as well as benefits. The costs are immediately apparent, but some of the benefits take longer to appear. Schools, hospitals, and social service agencies may have to arrange for translation services and other special programmes for immigrants. But most of the costs of these adjustments are paid by immigrants and their families. Immigrants have given up the familiarity of home in their quest for more rewarding careers and greater opportunities for their children. Immigrants must also contend with a receiving society that is ambivalent, and sometimes hostile, to their presence.

Contemporary immigrants do adapt and assimilate to American society—probably as fast as earlier waves of immigrants. Assimilation is not instantaneous, and, for adult immigrants, the process is never complete. But for their native born children, and for those who arrive in the United States as young children, assimilation is a natural process that reflects immersion in American schools and culture.

Immigrants and their children, however, are not the same as native born Americans. In addition to the many obvious characteristics, such as language, religion, and cuisine, they generally differ on social and educational characteristics. For the contemporary period, immigrants are over-represented both among college graduates and those with less than 12 years of schooling relative to native born Americans ( Portes and Rumbaut 2006 : Chap. 4). Immigrants are also not representative of the society from which they come ( Feliciano 2005a ; 2005b ; Model 2008 ). In contrast to popular images, immigrants are not drawn from the least successful ranks of their home societies, but are generally well above average in terms of their education and other skills.

Perhaps the most important contribution of immigrants is their children. Many immigrants have made enormous sacrifices for their children’s welfare, including the decision to settle in the United States. Immigrant parents often have to work in menial jobs, multiple jobs, and in occupations well below the status they would have earned if they had remained at home. These sacrifices have meaning because immigrant parents believe that their children will have better educational and occupational opportunities in the United States than in their homelands. Immigrant parents push their children to excel by reminding them of their own sacrifices.

These high expectations for the children of immigrants generally lead to high motivations for academic and worldly success ( Hao and Bonstead-Burns 1998 ). A large body of research shows that the children of immigrants do remarkably well in American schools. Holding constant their socio-economic status, the second generation obtains higher grades in school and above average results on standardised tests, is less likely to drop out of high school, and is more likely to go to college than the children of native born Americans ( Fuligni and Witknow 2004 ; Perreira, Harris and Lee 2006 ).

In addition to measures of socio-economic assimilation, immigrants and their children are over-represented in a broad range of rare achievements, including Nobel Prize winners, top scientists, American performing artists, and other contributors to the American creative arts. They have broadened our cultural outlook and sometimes, have even defined American culture through literature, music and art.

Compared with other societies, the United States is generally regarded as unusually competitive and places a high premium on progress and innovation. This dynamic characteristic may well arise from the presence of immigrants and on the evolution of American institutions and identity. The size and selectivity of the immigrant community means that immigrants (and/or their children) are competing for entry into colleges, jobs, and access to prestigious positions and institutions. Not all institutions have been open to outsiders on an equal footing with insiders. In particular, high status organisations often give preference to persons with the right connections and social pedigree. But institutions that opened their doors to talented outsiders—immigrants and their children—probably gained a competitive advantage. Over time, greater openness and meritocratic processes may have become a force that shaped the evolution of American institutions in the arts, sports, science, and some sectors of business. In turn, the participation of outsiders may have reinforced a distinctive American character and culture that values not ‘who are you?’ but, ‘what can you do?’

Because immigrants have to constantly work at learning the system, they are intensely curious about American culture. For the most talented, this leads to a level of creativity beyond the normal boundaries that has left its imprint on American music, theater, dance, film, and many other realms of artistic endeavour. Finally, American institutions – schools, universities, businesses, sports teams, and even symphony orchestras, are meritocratic and seek talent wherever they can find it. The United States is a competitive society that values progress and success. This dynamic characteristic has partly been created through the presence of immigrants, which has pushed the country to value skills and ability over social pedigree.

The fear of cultural conservatives is that immigrants will change American character and identity. Yet, the definition of American identity is elusive. Unlike many other societies, the United States does not have an identity tied to an ancient lineage. Given the two wars against the British in early American history (in 1776 and 1812), the founders of the new American republic did not make English origins the defining trait of American identity; rather it was acceptance of the Enlightenment ideas expressed in the founding documents of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights ( Gleason 1980 ; Vecoli 1966). Even though these ideals were belied by the continuing stain of slavery, a civic identity rather than ancestry has been the distinctive feature of American ‘ peoplehood ’ from the very start. This trait combined with jus soli (birthright citizenship) 2 has slowed, if not stopped, efforts to define Americans solely on the basis of ancestral origins. Another reason for the broad definition of American identity is that the overwhelming majority of the American population, including white Americans, is descended from 19 th and 20 th century immigrants. Demographic estimates suggest that less than one-third of the American population in the late 20 th century were descended from the 18 th century American population ( Edmonston and Passel 1994 : 61, Gibson 1992 ).

Yet, there have been recurrent struggles to redefine American identity in terms of ancestry. The first naturalisation law passed by Congress in 1790 limited citizenship to whites. The broadening of American citizenship to include African Americans, American Indians, and Asian immigrants were epic battles. The short-lived, but remarkably successful ‘Know-Nothing’ political movement called itself the American Party to highlight the ancestral origins of its adherents. In the late 19 th century, as new immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe were pouring in, some old stock Americans founded organisations such as the Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution, and similar groups to celebrate their ancestral pedigrees and to distance themselves from recent immigrants. The national origin quotas of the 1920s were a clear victory for those who feared dilution of the white English Protestant composition of the American population. The current anti-immigrant sentiment also expresses a fear that American identity will be lost, yet it is unclear that a universal contemporary American identity exists. Although the English language is considered to be central, English Protestant ancestry is not emphasised. There is too much diversity, even within the white population, to focus on specific ancestral origins.

In an often quoted remark, Oscar Handlin, the famous historian, observed that after searching for the place of immigrants in American history, that immigrants are American history. The American experiment in nation building is, in large part, the story of how immigrants have been absorbed into American society and how immigrants have enlarged and transformed America. Immigrants settled the frontier; they participated in constructing canals, roads and railroads, and contributed significant manpower in many American wars. Immigrants provided much of the manufacturing labour for the American industrial revolution as well as a disproportionate share of the contemporary highly skilled scientists and engineers that are central to the modern electronic and biomedical economy. Most interestingly, immigrants and the children of immigrants have been among the most important creative artists who have shaped the development of the cultural arts, including movies, theatre, dance, and music.

Immigration is, perhaps, the most distinctive feature of American identity. Immigration has had a disproportionate effect on the demographic size, ethnic diversity, culture, and character of American society. Immigrants and their children have assimilated to America, but they have also shaped American institutions in ways that have allowed strangers to participate on a relatively open playing field.

Acknowledgments

The author thanks the Malaysian Population and Family Development Board for the invitation to participate in the conference, the Malaysian American Commission for Educational Exchange for a Fulbright Fellowship to Malaysia, the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya for hosting me as a Visiting Fulbright Professor, and Associate Professor Tey Nai Peng for his advice on my conference paper.

+ An earlier version of this paper was presented at the International Conference on Migration, Urbanisation and Development at the University of Malaya, 8 July 2013.

1 The foreign-born refers to all persons who are born outside the United States or a United States territory. The Census Bureau defines the native born (the complement of the foreign born) as persons who are American citizens at birth. The terms foreign born and immigrants are used interchangeably here, but this is not technically true because many of the foreign born are in the United States as temporary workers or students.

2 The fourteenth amendment to the Constitution (adopted in 1868) defines citizenship as consisting of: “All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Subsequent Supreme Court rulings have interpreted the citizenship clause to include the native born children of foreign nationals.

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246 Immigration Essay Topics & Research Topics on Immigration

Looking for catchy immigration topics to research or discuss? Look no further! We present to you our list of sociological essay topics on immigration, research topics, and discussion ideas. We’ve also included links to numerous paper samples in addition to immigration titles.

🏆 Best Essay Topics on Immigration

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• Immigration: Causes and Effects
• Illegal Immigration: Causes and Consequences
• Immigration: Definition, Reasons and Solutions
• Immigration Effects on the United Kingdom
• Nick Anderson’s Political Cartoons: Employment and Immigration in the USA
• Immigration: “Our Wall” by Charles Bowden
• The Impact of Globalization on Immigration Control
• Reasons Why Immigration Enhances Diversity The paper states that immigration enhances diversity since it makes people connected around the world, expands culture, and leads to improvement.
• Arguments For and Against Immigration Immigration is a matter that has sparked a debate regarding its impact, especially on western countries like the United States of America.
• Immigration in Daniel Alarcon’s “Absence” This paper discusses Daniel Alarcon’s “Absence”, a work that concerns the topic of immigration and how immigrants feel while settling down in a new country.
• Language & Immigration in “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan This paper discusses arguments of the article “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, problems that come from language barriers – with the emphasis on the related immigrants’ hardships.
• Immigration: Home Is Where Your Heart Belongs Ramin Dabiri immigrated from Iran to the United States at the young age of 24. Difficult times are inevitable for those who immigrate to a completely different culture.
• Irish Immigration to America Immigration influenced the development of the labor and civic movement in the U.S. and allowed the Irish to address religious discrimination.
• Waves of Immigration in the United States The United States witnessed a second surge of immigrants after the World War ll. Nearly 260 thousand of foreigners crossed the border.
• Immigration: Advantages and Ways of Improving Immigration can be described as the movement of people from one region to another either in pursuit of basic needs, better living conditions. Factors that cause people to migrate.
• Impact of Immigration on the Economy Looking back on the United States’ history on the issue of immigration, the first immigrants came into the country starting in 1820.
• New Immigration Waves in the USA Americans are a nation of immigrants who came to this land, hoping for better. However, today the approach to this central facilitator of the state’s growth is reconsidered.
• Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) v. Harkat Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) v. Harkat is a landmark case in Canada. This case brief outlines the details of this landmark Supreme Court Ruling.
• Illegal Immigration’s Negative Impacts This paper is an argumentative essay on the case against illegal immigration which has a negative impact on health care, welfare, education and crime.
• Haitian Immigration in the United States The U.S. has a large number of immigrants compared to any part of the world since many people move there to join their families while others look for better job opportunities.
• Human Rights Related to Immigration The essay discusses human rights related to immigration and analyzes if there are any ways to improve the situation of migrants.
• Illegal Immigration and a Path to Citizenship The paper analyzes illegal immigration remains one of the biggest challenges that every administration in the United States has to address.
• “Harvest of Empire”: Immigration in the United States This essay aims to provide a reflective analysis based on the immigration problem within the United States by discussing the broadcasted Latino aspects in the “Harvest of Empire”.
• Immigration Detention Centers in America This paper will discuss the history of detention centers, their spread across America, alternatives, federal spending, privatization, and criticisms.
• Girl in Translation: An Immigration and Coming-of-Age Story The story of young Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrating to New York from Hong Kong told in Girl in Translation crystallizes hardships that immigrants undergo.
• Immigration in Canada: Economic Effects This paper concentrates on the economic effects of immigration in Canada, such as responding to the aging demographic, expanding the labor force, and providing entrepreneurs.
• The Industrial Revolution: Immigration Policies The Industrial Revolution period, which was defined by massive technological advancement, changed the nature of work, mainly in the United States.
• Immigration From the Northern Triangle to the US Migrants from the Northern Triangle countries will continue to arrive at the U.S. border unless socioeconomic and safety challenges in their homelands are addressed effectively.
• Immigration and Citizenship in the US The issue of immigration and citizenship in the U.S. has led to the emergence of myths about immigrants, such as immigrants taking over jobs meant for American citizens.
• The Need to Eliminate Immigration Detention System The paper states that the cruelty of the current immigration detention system in the USA is a vivid example of a severe violation of human rights.
• Immigration in the United States and Germany Even though immigrants have a lower average level of education than native-born Americans, the immigrant population has contributed to the increase of the labor force in the US.
• Immigration Policies in the United States Immigration in the United States is widely debated with potent controversies: observing and exploring immigration policies allows us to identify their efficiency.
• Immigration in Canada and the US The US and Canada remain the most significant and attractive points of immigration for many, but the two countries handle immigration differently.
• Gender Role Differences and Immigration Gender roles have played a considerable role in the ways that women were assimilated in the process of immigration.
• An Immigration Policy in Oklahoma and the US The Oklahoma and US immigration policy should focus on ensuring that positive social and economic change is a major priority when setting laws to govern illegal immigration.
• Criminalization of Immigration in America The paper will discuss the views of immigrants upon entering the US and explain why the American government permits set laws and policies to criminalize immigration.
• Criminalization of Immigration in the United States of America The criminalization of immigration is a topic that results in various debates. The impacts of using the set laws and regulations are felt by the immigrants.
• Immigration Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Despite strong opposition from various nations, research indicates that immigration regulations should be less enforced due to the overall positive effect on the economy.
• Canada’s Immigration Policy and Economic Development Canada’s immigration policies include educational background, language skills, and previous work experience, making an immigrant a professional who can greatly benefit the country.
• The Issue of Immigration: Articles’ Topics, Methods, Evidence, and Key Findings The given analysis will focus on the assessment of articles devoted to the subject of immigration in order to understand the intricacies of the issue.
• Immigration Policy: Impact on Nursing The role of the nurses is to deliver the proper service for every individual by advocating what is best for their overall wellbeing regardless of immigration policy.
• Criminalization of Immigration in the US This study aims to research why the United States of America is criminalizing immigration. The criminalization of immigration is becoming an alarming issue.
• The Criminalization of Immigration in the United States The article provides annotated bibliography which shows how immigrants face double standards of being strictly treated based on the consequences of criminal acts.
• Multicultural America: A History of Immigration African Americans and American Indians were two groups that were extensively marginalized for the whole period before the 20th century.
• Impact of Legal Immigration on the Economy of United States The success of the USA in multiple spheres of life largely comes from a well-known and longstanding tradition to encourage people to leave their countries for a better life.
• Racial Inequality, Immigration, and Healthcare in the US This essay discusses racial inequality, immigration, and healthcare in America, focusing on the preferential treatment of different races in the U.S.
• Why Immigration Is a Controversial Topic in the US While illegal immigration remains a controversial topic, it is imperative for modern society to look beyond bias, cultural differences, and false news headlines.
• Immigration Patterns: Risk of Disappearing While there is a risk of forgetting the less dominant culture, it is more likely to morph into a new culture together with the other globalized traditions.
• Immigration of Chinese Students to United States High Schools The report will discuss the history of Chinese high school students’ immigration to the United States and how they settled in the country.
• Mass Immigration in the United States Since the 1800s, America has experienced three great waves of mass immigration; the first great wave of immigration came from Europe between the 1820s-1880s.
• Latin American Immigration to the United States This essay focuses on family dynamics, naturalization and immigration policy, and integration. Family dynamics are affected dramatically by the immigration process.
• German Immigration and Language Learning in the US The German immigrants’ experiences of learning English can be compared to today’s English language learners by looking at its necessity and its desires.
• “Freedom Writers”: Immigration and Indigenization Immigration and indigenization in education connect people, being vital in expanding the horizons and perception of the world with its cultural differences.
• Immigration Challenges in Selections from The John Harrower Diary The challenges of living in another country have been described in various sources, among which are selections from John Harrows’ diary.
• Immigration in Crisis in Episode 10 of the NASW Podcast The NASW podcast was centered on the immigration rules in the U.S. and their impacts on social workers. This paper analyzes episode 10 on immigration in crisis.
• The Texas Border Security: Impact of Immigration Texas border is illegally crossed daily, which leads to an increase of unregistered individuals on the territory of the US.
• An Effective Immigration Support Framework in Canada Canada has developed an effective immigration support framework, which is proven by the fact that the country has attracted so many newcomers this year.
• History of Immigration in the United States The paper argues immigrants mainly founded the United States, and the country has been the recipient of the new energy and resourcefulness that foreigners bring.
• The Democrats Attempt to Incorporate Immigration Issue in the Economic Bill Notably, the most recent development on immigration is that the Democrats presented a bill in an attempt to include immigrants who have not been accounted for in their economic bill.
• American Immigration History: From British Colonies to the Present This paper examines the significant episodes in the history of American immigration from the establishment of the British colonies to the present.
• Immigration System Complexity at US-Mexico Border The immigration system at the U.S.-Mexico border has been known for its complexity and reliance on restriction and inflexibility.
• “In America”: Family and Immigration in Movie The movie “In America” represents one of the few honest portrayals of immigration and the life of immigrants in the American sociocultural context.
• Haitian Immigration and Religion in Florida A significant number of Haitian nationals have migrated to other countries during the last century following the country’s political and economic turmoil
• Positive Effects of Immigration Essay Example The main point of the given writing is to argue that immigration is generally a positive occurrence, which can benefit the United States both economically and socially.
• Psychosocial Impacts of Immigration on Nigerian Immigrants This paper aims to analyze the article titled “Psychosocial impacts of immigration on Nigerian immigrants in the United States: A phenomenological study”.
• Researching of Irish Immigration to the United States Immigration is a valuable part of each country’s history because it influences the culture, economy, and society by forming new traditions, providing a workforce
• Illegal Immigration in the United States This paper argues that the decision to detain individuals to check their immigration status arbitrarily is harmful despite its potential positive effects.
• The Issue of Immigration in the United States The given essay will focus on the issue of immigration in the United States. Amy Chua’s books, where she raises valid points regarding immigration in the United States.
• Immigration and Red Scare Discussion The Red Scare was characterized by a significant number of immigrants to the United States who were adherents of socialist, communist, and anarchist ideas.
• Immigration to the US: Historical Analysis Immigration is crucial for American society and has always taken part in the nation’s history. It is a significant event because people keep moving from one country to another.
• Border Security and Immigration Border security is of paramount importance for preventing terrorism, but the current approach of heavy investment in physical barriers might not be the most effective approach.
• The Challenge: Process of Immigration The biggest challenge that I have met in my life so far was the process of immigration that caused numerous problems for me, especially being a Chinese child.
• Industrialization, Immigration and Urbanization in the Late 19th Century The rapid industrialization caused a wave of resettlements in the urban areas, which eventually led to the US economic growth.
• U.S. History: Reconstruction, American Imperialism, Immigration This paper discusses defined episodes of the history of the United States: Reconstruction, the Yellow Peril Movement, American imperialism, immigration and immigration laws.
• Industrial Revolution and Immigration The outcomes of the US Industrial Revolution had a recognizable influence on the consequent history of the country and of the world as a whole.
• Immigration: Information Sources Immigration information is very useful in drafting important national policies used for decision making and strategic planning.
• Immigration in the United States: Benefits and Challenges This research proposal discusses immigration in the United States from the point of view of its positive and negative impact on the population, the country’s economy, and politics.
• Immigration: America Needs Its Newcomers by Quindlen Migrants are involved in the real economy and create cheap goods that help millions of American citizens enjoy high living standards while working in lucrative creative spheres.
• Illegal Immigration and Its Consequences Illegal immigration is a serious issue that cannot be neglected as it creates an array of problems for both the ‘host’ country and illegal immigrants themselves.
• Aspects of Immigration: Cultural Adaptation Cultural adaptation is possible when an immigrant embraces difficulties and works on cultivating new relationships and grasping job opportunities.
• The Need for Reforming the Current Immigration System in the US Approximately, after the Second World War, the United States has become one of the countries that attract the largest numbers of immigrants.
• Illegal Immigration Issues: Threat to the Country This essay will center on the aspects of the security argument that seeks to establish whether illegal immigrants create a threat to a country.
• Immigration in America – Debate This paper explains why there is a need for the government to implement appropriate policies that support immigration since it helps America.
• Immigration Reform: Asylum Ban and Mexican Immigrants The Trump administration has been very aggressive in the enactment of policies to curb illegal immigration, especially from Mexico.
• Federalism in the Context of Immigration and Trump’s Presidency The key element of American federalism is the power of individual states to determine their own political structure and the policy to influence the central government bodies.
• Mexican Immigration to the USA A large diaspora was formed, which significantly supplemented American culture, for example, in terms of food, bringing new traditions and habits.
• Immigration History: “Betwixt and Between” Identity Immigration remains a common practice that makes it possible for people to leave their countries in order to get new opportunities and achieve their aims.
• The Repercussions of Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 The US immigration policy indicates that immigration is a crucial element in the evolution of American society, and the problem of illegal migration has always been present in the country.
• U.S. Immigration Policy Moral Dilemma The problem of ethical behavior and fair solutions is reflected in the philosophical work of American professor Stephen Macedo.
• Immigration in the U.S. and Its Economic Implications Immigration supplies not only the necessary human capital but also investment resources while saving some of the costs.
• Investigating International Education: Teachers’ Immigration Research study identified the ever-growing character of the process of teachers’ immigration into Israel, and decided to observe the way the concept of place affects teachers’ work.
• “We Should All be Pro-Immigration” by Don Cayo Don Cayo manages to provide several reasonable and justifiable facts about the importance of accepting more immigrants into Canada.
• How World War Two Affected Black Immigration? The black population benefited from World War Two in various ways but they also faced untold sufferings at the hands of people who considered them as none or less human beings.
• Can the EU Reduce Immigration Into Europe? European countries have always been attractive to immigrants. The main principle of the EU is to eliminate any borders to make trade and cooperation much easier.
• Immigration Rights Problem Analysis The racial profiling law (SB 1070) threatened to legally perpetuate a racial stereotyping culture of certain social groups thereby contravening the federal immigration policies.
• Globalization and Immigration: Globalization Policies Leaders and citizens in such nations feel threatened by the influx of both legal and illegal immigrants into their nations.
• Immigration Policy in US. Problem and Solution For the immigration policy to be addressed effectively the number of Immigrants in the United States has to be considered as one important issue.
• Illegal Immigration and Its Impact on Healthcare in the USA Bear-Stearns investment firm analysts claim that the US illegal immigrant population “may be as high as 20 million people.
• The Immigration Policies of US, China and Switzerland The reasons for choosing these countries are; the frequent adjustment in their immigration policies to suit the increasing needs of immigrant.
• The Problem of Illegal Immigration to the United States The article proposes a statement that the United States should initiate a process of immigration reforms and the implementation of welfare-improvement policies regarding immigrants.
• North American Immigration: Concepts of Immigration Tendencies The experience of the immigrants in the USA may be regarded as one of the central aspects that formed the American nation.
• Illegal Immigration and the Economic Implications in the United States Immigrants in the U.S form approximately a 1/5 of the total population and parts of them are the illegal immigrants.
• Immigration: Today’s Situation in the United States The main reason for immigration is better standards of life, and stable political system. It’s supposed that illegal immigration deprives many native citizens their jobs.
• Modern Jewish history: Ashkenaz, Ottoman Empire, Aliyah, Immigration, War Jews in Europe experienced brutality, starvation, civil war, followed by the oppressive communist leadership.
• Immigration’s Economic Input in the United Kingdom Immigration is one of the most important debated topics in the United Kingdom today. Britain has always been a destination for migrants.
• Involuntary Immigration and Its Implications This paper explores the implications of involuntary immigration in relation to the potential for social breakdown and increased criminal justice issues.
• Immigration Laws and Social Welfare Policies Illegal immigration remains one of the biggest concerns for the current US government. This paper looks at the significance of social welfare policies on immigration laws.
• Changes in United States Immigration Policies The emergence of an era of rapid transport and communication led to the enactment of policies that limited immigration.
• Immigration Impact on American Society This analytical paper attempts to explicate defiled human dignity as contributed by immigration in the American society.
• Immigration Enforcement in the US Immigration enforcement issues have continued to grow in severity and complexity over the past several years. The key task of the Department of Homeland Security is to protect the country.
• The US Immigration Laws: Movement Regulation There are many laws aimed at regulating the immigrant movements in the Commonwealth that have increased rapidly due to various career opportunities and higher living standards.
• The US Immigration Laws The United States of America is a country of immigrants. People from almost every part of the world and nationality inhabit the American territories at the present moment.
• Trump Presidency: Immigration and Climate Change Donald Trump was elected the President of the United States on November 8, 2016. Trump has repeatedly changed his views on various elements of the political agenda.
• Canada and US Economic Relation: Immigration Impact Canada and the USA experience the highest influx of immigrants. This essay analyzes the impacts of immigration on the economies of Canada and the United States.
• Democratic Views on Pro-Immigration Immigration can occur in two forms – legal and illegal, and while the latter form is majorly opposed and fought against, the former is treated from several different perspectives.
• Immigration, Race, and Labor in American History Domestica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence by Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo to reviews the lives of domestic workers from the historical perspective.
• US Racial Inequality, Legislation and Immigration Society can be described as a mosaic of races with different people living together as one society. This situation is diverse from the times when they were pure in terms of race.
• Acculturation and Immigration in the UK Immigration has always been associated with several negative issues, starting from unemployment due to the influx of immigrant labor force to the possibility of cultural conflicts.
• Immigration in American Culture Immigration is one of the most controversial topics in American culture, mostly due to a host of political issues associated with it.
• Immigration and Social Prosperity of United States Immigration is a socioeconomic as well as a political issue that has trigger attention on media platforms in the United States.
• The Issues of Illegal Immigration in United States The United States of America are mainly inhabited by immigrants. Several millions of people came here during the past centuries to build a better future.
• Mexican Immigration as a Political Controversy The article focused on the relevant and controversial aspects of modern politics, which is Mexican immigration.
• Immigration Reasons, Functions and Problems This paper highlights the main points of the immigration process: reasons including economic, political, religious, functions, and problems that cause immigration.
• Immigration Advice & Application Assistance Scheme This essay highlights operations of the Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme (IAAAS) as an organisation that provides services to immigrants.
• Specific Illegal Immigration Issues This paper highlights some of the specific illegal immigration issues that touch on the country’s social welfare system.
• Immigration to the United States Denying illegal immigrants social services is illogical and unethical. Offering social services to illegal immigrants, such as health care, reduces their chances of spreading infectious diseases.
• Illegal Immigration in the United States: Control and Effects Illegal immigration is one of the main topics that have dominated debates across the United States for several decades.
• Illegal Immigration in USA Based on basic facts and evidences, illegal immigrants should be allowed access to the entire basic requisite for life sustenance.
• Immigration to the United States on Ellis Island Ellis Island is the place where the thousands of immigrants started the new life during 1880s-1930s, so they contributed to the economic and social progress of the country.
• Immigration in America as a Political Issues Immigration to the US is a highly complex but important demographic feature that has led to steady increase in US population and cultural dynamism since the discovery of New World.
• Illegal Immigration as a Threat to Hosts and Immigrants Illegal immigration has become a major problem in the Europe and the United States. It does pose not only a threat to the host nation but also the immigrants.
• Criticism of Arizona’s New Immigration Laws The new Arizona immigration laws require immigrants to carry their documentation at all times. If the police stop the immigrants, they should produce their documentation.
• Factors that Make Illegal Immigration Undesirable The illegal immigrants make up about 5.1% of the total workforce in the United States. This clearly shows that the problem is serious and needs to be addressed in an effective manner.
• Immigration Law in Arizona: Main Concepts Immigration law can reduce several negative effects associated with illegal immigration. It is critical to develop a set of policies that alleviate the problem.
• Immigration in the US The current essay is an endeavor to explore the debate of granting amnesty to illegal immigrants. Consequently, the pros and cons of the debate shall be examined.
• Human Trafficking and Illegal Immigration Human trafficking is a problem which seems to be concealed and even ignored in the United States’ society because of a lack of the appropriate discussion.
• Illegal Immigration: Impacts on Immigrants and Countries Illegal immigration to the developed countries causes problems both to immigrants and host countries. The paper studies the issues that appear due to the immigration.
• Immigration to the United States – the DREAM Act The DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) is a law that aims to offer permanent residency to immigrants who show good moral character and graduates of American institutions.
• Obama’s New Immigration Law Immigration laws are the policies that governments across the world establish to regulate who enters a certain country and the period that such s person is supposed to stay in the host country.
• Homeland Security – Immigration Policy This paper will explore immigration policy as entailed in homeland security. It will also examine its contents as well as the changes it has undergone since its conception.
• Border Control: A Mixed Method Approach to Mexican Immigration to The U.S It is a controversy that illegal immigrants invade foreign countries for better life but instead end up living a life of concealing their identity.
• Immigration and Natives’ Attitudes Towards the Welfare State: Evidence From the European Social Survey
• Immigration Lottery Design: Engineered and Coincidental Consequences of H-1B Reforms
• American Immigration Restriction Laws of the 1920s
• American Immigration and How It Affected American Society and Development
• Are There Valid Economic Grounds for Restricting Immigration
• Does Immigration Induce ‘Native Flight’ From Public Schools Into Private Schools
• Immigration and Wages: New Evidence From the African American Great Migration
• Does United States Immigration Policy Harm Domestic Workers
• Immigration and Demographics: Can High Immigrant Fertility Explain Voter Support for Immigration
• Chicago’s Migration and Immigration Since 1865
• America Must Stop Illegal Immigration
• Immigration and the Health of U.S. Black Adults: Does Country of Origin Matter
• Continuity and Change: Immigration Policies in Germany From the Sixties to the Present
• Does Border Enforcement Protect U.S. Workers From Illegal Immigration
• America Needs Immigration Reform
• Immigration and National Identity Issues in Europe
• Anti Immigration and Xenophobia During the United States
• American Citizenship Policy and the Effects of Mexican Immigration
• Comparing Jewish Immigration With Chinese Immigration to the United States
• Immigration and the Colonial Labor System an Analysis of the Length of Indenture
• Immigration and Its Effect on the College-Going Outcomes of Natives
• Illegal Immigration From Cub the United States of America
• Illegal Immigration: Freedom for Some Is Hard to Achieve
• Canada and High Skill Immigration in the U.S.: Way Station or Farm System
• Can Immigration Compensate for Europe’s Low Fertility
• Illegal Immigration Among U.s and Mexico
• Attitudes Towards Immigrants, Immigration Policies and Labour Market Outcomes: Comparing Croatia With Hungary and Slovenia
• Immigration 1840s-1850s and 1910s-1920s
• African American Migration and Foreign Immigration
• Blurring Boundaries? Immigration and Exogamous Marriages in Hong Kong
• Illegal Immigration Instigate More Crimes
• Canadian Immigration: Why Does Quebec Ignore the Central Canadian Immigration Policies
• German Immigration and the Development of the Beer Industry
• Donald Trump and His Mass Immigration Deportation Plan
• Attitudes, Canadian Immigration, Racial Minorities
• Beliefs, Media Exposure and Policy Preferences on Immigration: Evidence From Europe
• German Immigration and the Republic of Texas
• Cognitive and Non-cognitive Abilities of Immigrants: New Perspectives on Migrant Quality From a Selective Immigration Country
• Immigration and Crime: Evidence From Canada
• Documenting the Unauthorized: Political Responses to Unauthorized Immigration
• Immigrants and the Spread of Tuberculosis in the United States: A Hidden Cost of Immigration
• China Between Economic Growth and Mass Immigration
• Immigration and International Trade: A Semiparametric Empirical Investigation
• Development and Immigration: Experiences of Non-us Born Black Women
• Australian Immigration, Increasing Multiculturalism, and Discrimination
• Immigrant Specificity and the Relationship Between Trade and Immigration: Theory and Evidence
• Immigration and the Real Wage: Time Series Evidence From the United States, 1820-1977
• Germany’s Immigration Policy and Labor Shortages
• German Immigration and Their Settlement in Town Pennsylvania
• Chinese Illegal Immigrants and the Immigration Laws of Canada
• Argument for Increasing American Immigration
• Illegal Immigration and Ways to Stop It in the United States
• Immigration and the Economic Status of African-American Men
• Germany’s Challenges: Immigration Barriers in Minds, Economic Concerns, and Subjective Well Being
• Factors That Probably Influenced Congress to Pass the Immigration Act of 1924
• Immigration and Intra-Industry Trade: The Relevance of Language, Qualification and Economic Integration
• Children’s Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: The Role of Parents’ Ethnicity and Immigration Status
• Australia Federation Encourages Immigration Policy
• Immigration and Immigrants Are Destroying America
• Immigration Controls and Chinese Small Business in the UK
• Illegal Immigration Issues and America’s Agricultural Policies
• Australian Migration Law and Practice: Immigration and Border Protection
• Does Immigration Raise Blue and White Collar Wages of Natives
• Illegal Immigration: Financial Burdens and National Security
• Closing Heaven’s Door: Evidence From the 1920s U.S.immigration Quota Acts
• American Public Unsatisfied With Us Immigration Laws
• Immigration, Cultural Distance and Natives’ Attitudes Towards Immigrants: Evidence From Swiss Voting Results
• Immigrant Children’s School Performance and Immigration Costs: Evidence From Spain
• California: The Dividing Issue of Illegal Immigration
• Immigration and the Tech Industry: As a Labor Shortage Remedy, for Innovation, or Cost Savings
• Immigration and Heterogeneous Labor in Western Germany: A Labor Market Classification Based on Nonparametric Estimation
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement Promotes Security in America
• Family-Friendly and Human-Capital-Based Immigration Policy
• Current Immigration Policies and Possible Remedies
• Immigration and the Diffusion of Technology: The Huguenot Diaspora in Prussia
• How Does Immigration Affect the US Population?
• How Does Immigration Helps a Country?
• How Far Would You Agree That Immigration Has Had a Beneficial Impact on Your Society?
• How Should America Handle Illegal Immigration?
• How Successful Were Immigration Schemes in the British, French, and Spanish Territories?
• How Was the Large Immigration of Overseas Students Affected New Zealand?
• Should America Encourage Immigration?
• Should the US Immigration Laws Be Changed?
• What Is Happening About Immigration in Key Countries?
• Are Attitudes Towards Immigration Changing in Europe?
• Why Does Quebec Ignore the Central Canadian Immigration Policies?
• Can Illegal Immigration Ever Be Solved?
• Can the Rising Pension Burden in Europe Be Mitigated by Immigration?
• How Does Turkeys Role as a Transit Country for Illegal Immigration Impact the EU’s Border Security?
• Does Broadband Facilitate Immigration Flows?
• Does Education Affect Attitudes Towards Immigration?
• Does Immigration Affect Demand for Redistribution?
• Does Immigration Affect Public Education Expenditures?
• Does Immigration Affect the Long-Term Educational Outcomes of Natives?
• How Does Diversity and Immigration Impact Innovation?
• How Was Immigration Throughout the 1960s?
• What Are the Four Types of Immigration?
• What Is the Difference Between Immigration and Emigration?
• Who Is Considered an Immigrant?
• What’s the Difference Between Immigration and Citizenship?
• Are Green Card Holders Immigrants?
• What Are 3 Types of Non-Immigrant Visas?
• Which Country Has the Most Immigrants in Europe?
• Which European Country Accepts Most Immigrants?
• What Countries Do Not Allow Immigrants?

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StudyCorgi . "246 Immigration Essay Topics & Research Topics on Immigration." September 9, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/immigration-essay-topics/.

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These essay examples and topics on Immigration were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on March 8, 2024 .

Trendy Immigration Research Paper Topics – Unleash Your Greatest Paper

Immigration is one of the most discussed topics nowadays. The world has become a global village in the last couple of decades. People must move to other countries for work, change their lives, or seek refuge. You can choose from plenty of research topics for your thesis as a researcher.

The United States is one of the most popular destinations for immigrants. The USA hosts more than 44 million people as of 2016. The US has always been a nation that attracts immigrants from all over the world. The US has welcomed them all for a long time.

Immigration research paper topics can be very broad. It is important to choose a topic you are passionate about. That way, you can write an excellent paper on it. We offer  research paper writing services, and our writers have learned much from their experience. Let’s talk more about it.

Table of Contents

Issues & Challenges in Middle East Immigration Research paper topics

There are several immigration paper topics that you can choose from. We have some of the most popular topics for  writing your research paper .

Reasons For Immigration Paper Topics

• What are the basic reasons that Middle Easter People are migrating to the USA?
• Immigration trends in South Asian countries
• What are the growth opportunities associated with immigration towards Western Countries?
• Reasons that people migrate from Africa to America. How can the USA make the immigration process easy?
• The humanitarian crisis in Syria: A major reason in the story of Syrian Immigrants
• The place of Sahrawi States in the migratory journey of sub-Saharans
• Analysis of the needs of immigrants via the dimensions of the notion of integration
• Irregular migrants at the gates of the European Union
• Bashar’s Oppression. One of the major reasons behind one of the greatest immigration trends in the world
• Impact of recent immigration reforms
• The case of undocumented immigrants
• How do trends of immigration affect the host country? A study with immigration research
• Access to housing and work for unaccompanied refugee minors
• Major reasons behind African migrations towards Europe
• A study of Afghan refugees in Pakistan: The condition of post-war Afghanis
• Turkey: The country to host the largest refugee population. What are the motives behind it?
• Spain-Morocco: One of the biggest migration routes
• Dynamics of internally displaced persons in Ukraine
• Access to psychological and psychiatric care for asylum seekers. Obtaining a residence permit for medical reasons
• Reintegrating young migrants into the workforce
• Future England: the ephemeral dichotomy present in a city of transit. The shift in traditional notions of hospitality
• Implementing a multidimensional approach to fighting discrimination
• Migration experiences of pregnant women and migrant mothers in France
• Sudan’s experiences with the externalization of European migration policies
• South Caucasians’ migratory journey to France
• People who have were forced to flee from their homes in Palestine
• Experiencing migration as a female migrant
• Helping migrants dealing with PTSD after being violently attacked in Iran
• A study of the professional careers of African women who immigrated to the United States
• Using WhatsApp to maintain and strengthen relationships. Communication between immigrants. And their countries of origin.
• An analysis of Schengen visa statistics. An indicator of the challenges facing visa policy in the EU
• Are undocumented immigrants always considered criminals? Should they be or not?
• Illegal immigration in Europe
• How will Serbia treat migrants stranded there? A study of their current economic and social environment?
• Returning to the country of origin and forming an identity.
• Can the immigration effect solve the bias and prejudice problem in the next decades?
• Immigration logics of illegal migrants from Mexico: The case of New Mexico
• Migrants from marginalized Caribbean communities and social cohesion
• Involvement of Chadians in French politics and migration paths

Thinking about how to write a thesis? Explore How To  Write A Thesis For A Research Paper ?

Challenges for Immigration Research Topics

• Right to education. Unaccompanied immigrant minors not supported by the protection services in the USA
• Immigration laws related to illegal immigration in the USA
• The anti-racist commitment of descendants of immigrants
• Access to healthcare for migrants: The case of post-immigration health problems
• The need for hospitability and solidarity towards the immigrants
• The challenges of supporting migrant women in prostitution or wishing to leave prostitution
• Are illegal migrants connected to other crimes? A correlative study
• Dealing with illegal immigration
• What are the consequences of illegal immigration from Morocco to Spain
• International cooperation and solidarity for immigrants
• Efforts and commitments for Syrian refugees in Europe
• Role of media in helping the refugees: From media representation to institutional recognition 
• Perceiving, feeling discrimination and racism Personal and professional trajectories of qualified black women
• US Immigration policy toward illegal immigration from Mexico
• Negative effects of illegal immigration in the United States
• How to deal with drug mafia corporations run by illegal migrants

Looking for research topics in general?  402 Best Research Paper Topics

Problems of Immigrant: Immigration Research Topics

• Sexual and reproductive health of Irani migrants in precarious domestic violence situations
• The problems with asylum and reception policies in the United States
• Why is it so hard to Migrate to The United States? Is America Anti-refugee?
• The visibility of the struggle of unaccompanied minors. The opportunities for the artists from the African diasporas
• Image and perceptions of the refugees in the Iberian Peninsula
• Representing migrations, imaginations and realities
• Gender experiences and international solidarity
• Europe’s Human corridors. The problems faced by refugees coming from Syrian and Sahara
• Case of Irani Women: Dealing with PTSD of living under an authoritarian state
• Humanitarian corridors in Europe: Syrian and Iraqi migration routes from Lebanon to France
• Countries with the most number of illegal immigrants
• Is the crime rate of a refugee-hosting country increased with illegal immigration trends?
• The protection of migrant women victims of gender-based violence in international and French Politics
• Are all illegal migrants criminals?
• The territories of waiting in migration

Also related:  259 Legal Research Paper Topics.

Interesting Immigration Topics

• The activism and efforts of social workers within an association managing asylum for immigrants
• Aid to irregular foreigners and the fight against illegal immigration
• Immigration laws are made to protect immigrant women.
• What is the concept of home for refugees? Do refugees feel at home in the Land Of Opportunity, the United States of America?
• Migratory experiences of women from sub-Saharan Africa in Istanbul
• The question of the right of migrants to live in the priority neighbourhoods
• Sports and the leisure activities of young migrants. Equal right to socialize and access recreation
• Illegal migrants vs legal migrants: What are crime and punishment?
• History of migration: from the Palestinian diaspora in Sweden to the African cultural diasporas in America
• Recognition and legitimization of memories of immigration through art and heritage
• Immigration topics mostly occurred after the world war.
• Immigration issues faced by Libyans for the specific destination country
• Perception and thoughts of American citizens towards the immigrants
• America is a host country for immigrants from various countries. How do American citizens see the permanent residence of Immigrants?
• Role of NGOs to provide equal job opportunities to immigrants
• How do we interview immigrant families for their opinions and historical perspectives for the research questions?
• Hurdles in the way of green card lottery and permanent residence faced by people with the work visa
• How can illegal migrants make themselves legal and be a better part of society?
• Immigration laws impacting illegal immigrants coming from Mexico
• Does immigration compensate people worldwide?
• Host countries providing refuge to people from developing countries after the second world war
• World immigration: The role that different groups of immigrants have played in the industrial revolution
• Immigration laws in New Mexico. A study of the United States Immigration policies
• Is American culture welcoming towards immigrants? How do different groups of people see new communities?
• The immigration law of Canada. Their behaviour toward legal immigration vs illegal migration
• Various countries are open to offering work visas to people worldwide after Donald Trump effect.
• US Immigration policy and its attitude toward immigrants from various countries
• Can people with work permits easily live up to US immigration policies?
• The impact of the Trump Regime on the legal migrants
• Legal and illegal immigration: How to protect the former and prosecute the latter
• Legal migration: Mexican immigration vs border security
• Legal immigration towards developed countries: How to gain legal status?
• The story of writing a persuasive essay to a foreign country to raise awareness for the health problems of immigrant families
• Health care concerns of immigrants stranded in Bulgaria

Good Immigration Research Topics

• French metropolitan migration of Comorians and Mahorians
• Illegal immigration in France: Behavior of public towards French Immigration Laws
• Turkey is a target for human trafficking networks that target migrant female prostitutes
• Integration and adaptation to a different cultural environment
• Transnational family practices from the perspective of the country of emigration
• The question of family memory and Jewish migration from Algeria
• Migration between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe
• Western countries’ education policies for returning refugee children
• Building a future at the gates of Europe: Education and asylum seekers’ lived territories
• The case of Libyan returnees to Ivory Coast: Voluntary return and reintegration
• Senegalese migrants’ religious practices in the United States
• The movement of goods and people between Mali and Eastern Europe from Central Africa
• Are illegal immigrants a threat to national security?
• The migration policy of Algeria toward the sub-Saharan Africans
• Women from Syria who are resisting in Lebanon
• The vulnerability, strategies, and occupation practices of waiting for young migrants
• The mental health of those who are in exile. An analysis of the reception system in the United States
• Negative impact of illegal immigration in our country
• What is the one country that tops the list related to illegal immigration? What are the causes and the effects?
• How to interview people and gather facts when writing for environmental immigration topics?
• Immigration laws in Europe
• What can we do to stop illegal immigration without violating human rights?
• European Immigration Policies and Treatment of illegal immigrants in Eastern Europe
• How dream act helped assure a better life for international students: A study from historical perspective

For a little help with writing your research paper outline:  How To Write A Research Paper Outline ?

Easy Immigration Research Topics

• The Impact of Remittances on Syrian Migrants in Canada
• Movements of Cameroonians according to their religious beliefs. An analysis of the case of the Evangelical Church of Cameroon
• Pensioners in Morocco receiving French retirement pensions
• France’s judicial and extra-judicial mobilizations around the veil
• IMMIPLICATION AND INEQUALITY IN ACCESS TO THE CITY: a case study of African women immigrants
• The creation of migratory routes towards the southern border of Europe
• How to get rid of a label? The political mobilization of asylum seekers and the citizenship process
• How can international trade solve cultural conflicts amid rising immigration rates: An opinion essays
• Asking research questions from immigrants for homeland security to protect them and promise a better life
• Redefinition of social relations of gender, class, and “race” through the collective appropriation of space
• Managing accommodation systems for asylum seekers in France presents challenges
• An investigation of the relationship between football practice and education in local development
• Religious and racial prejudice  in France against refugees
• Illegal immigration: Immigration laws in Turkey
• Integration of foreigners into the Romanian society
• Project management for the Center for International Cooperation in Health and Development via the internet
• Coordination of a team of relocated volunteers for humanitarian projects
• For the good management of development projects, international organizations must become professionally organized as a result of migrations
• Factors affecting social entrepreneurship integration, as well as the part played by migrants
• Social and Solidarity Economy’s approach to co-constructing territorial policies
• Empowerment as a process for creating cross-cultural collaboration
• Traders from Nigeria and their contributions to global trade
• Dual approaches to polymorphic vulnerability in international migration
• Syrian refugee conditions and thoughts among non-Syrians in Jordan
• Illegal immigration trends among through Morocco-Spain 
• Immigration policy of Turkey: How European and Turkish Immigration Laws differ?
• How to ask questions to immigrants when writing a research proposal for illegal immigration essay topics?

Related:  197 Fascinating US History Research Topics

Trending Immigration Topics

• An analysis of migration discourse in the media
• Designing and disseminating information about voluntary returns
• Students’ school trajectories as they move through high school as migrants
• Defining a safe country of origin: restrictions on asylum rights
• Mobility is a privileged form of migration through International Solidarity.
• An analysis of international engagement practices and social conditions
• Schools in large US cities that are experiencing migration and educating their children
• Reunion of descendants of Italian migrants in Las Vegas
• Migration Journeys of Sub-Saharan African Migrants in Transit in Morocco
• In solidarity with exiles, self-managed groups cross identities and power relations
• Policy impacts on minorities related to housing
• The relationship between migration and mental health.
• Migrants have limited access to mental health services
• Integration of young migrants on a social and professional level
• The gender identity of detainees in administrative detention centers.
• An analysis of interventions in administrative detention centers
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization of space in slums around the world changed

Related to research topics: 297 High School Research Paper Topics

Hot Immigration Research Topics

• Migrations outside of the country and agricultural dynamics in rural areas
• An assessment of the unfinished articulation between decentralization and local development
• Meetings with community volunteers provide migrant adults with access to autonomy
• A strategy for advocating for access to water and sanitation for occupants without rights
• Solidarity projects revolve around participatory approaches
• In the context of resettlement, a look at the support families receive
• The reception of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. The Kingdom of Morocco faces a new challenge
• An examination of the benefits of entrepreneurship for migrant women
• Unaccompanied minors in Cyprus and the impact of settlement
• The transformation of violence into democratic conflict
• A city refuge during the criminalization of solidarity
• Morocco’s young Harragas: a phenomenon of clandestine migration
• A comparison of the economies of sub-Saharan Africa and Europe
• Migration and refugees are two sides of the same coin.
• Migration is a process that has been taking place since the beginning of human history.
• The biggest human migration is the mass migration of people from Europe to North America between the 18th and 20th centuries.
• Japanese reading of otherness on the other side of the mirror
• A reconstruction of asylum seekers’ expectations and everyday lives
• Conflict-related internal displacements in Mali
• In what ways do newly arrived adolescents build their social identity and live in society through specific school systems?

Simple Immigration Topics

• Bulgarian asylum seekers waiting for their turn
• Multi-site ethnography of a transnational socio-religious network among Yazidis in the diaspora
• A priority or alternative in the asylum application process for unaccompanied foreign minors
• Agricultural rights for migrants in the Americas
• The Iranian diaspora in the US: family dynamics from the West and the capital
• Developing associative projects related to immigration research: challenges of funding and partnerships
• Unaccompanied foreign minors and administrative waiting: resources, strategies, and psychological effects
• A department’s inventory and difficulties of international solidarity
• Identifying and altruizing: the conflict between voluntary commitment and altruism
• The adoption of international children, a particular migration? Children adopted from Russia in Canada are an example
• Feelings of belonging and home in Jordan among Palestinians
• Children’s literature and the press’ treatment of migration
• In the migration process, revival churches played a crucial role
• In Sweden, the reception of Syrian refugees and their management
• The psychological risks faced by foreign minors and their access to care
• Self-affirmation between chance and networks in the international mobility of Iranian students
• Economic activity and institutional bodies for immigrant rates and employment as integration structures
• In transit areas in Europe, migration policies have a significant impact
• Immigrants in Canada . Canada’s reception and support of unaccompanied foreign minors
• Italy’s reception system, migration speculation and asylum seeker living conditions
• Local development and popular education: a special relationship
• In the development of associative projects, research funding and partnerships present several challenges

Immigration is one of the biggest social trends these days. All trends and movements come with problems of their own. Immigration has its challenges too. The researchers play a great role in solving those problems by writing on immigration research paper topics. Now it’s your time to become a problem solver and make the world a better place for immigrants. We are confident that all your concerns have been answered. However, if you still have questions, you can contact us, and we’ll answer your inquiry within 24 hours. If you are too busy and unable to write your research paper, you can  place your order , and we will start writing for you immediately.

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32+ argumentative essays topics on immigration with prompts [+ essay outline], dr. wilson mn.

• August 1, 2022
• Essay Topics and Ideas , Samples

There are a lot of immigration issues that people are passionate about. If you care about the immigration and want to make a difference, then you should consider writing an argumentative essay on one of these topics. Here are some ideas on Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration to get you started:

What You'll Learn

Interesting Topics On Migration

• Different Perspectives on Immigration Reform Essay Prompt: Over the past few years, people have moved to the United States for various reasons. Some have moved to the United States to reunite with their families, work, or look for safety.
• Arguments on Why Immigration Should be Stopped Essay Prompt: Immigration can be defined as the movement of an individual from one’s country of origin to set up new and permanent residence in another country. Immigration has been a pertinent issue in most countries, especially the United States.
• Effects of Immigration Essay Prompt: Immigration is moving from one place to another in order to live and work in that place. The history of immigration dates back to thousands of years ago when the first Africans arrived in Egypt.
• How does racism impact the way we view Immigration? Essay Prompt: In recent years, views of immigration in the United States have shifted with many Americans perceiving immigrants as a source of national prosperity, rather than an eminent burden. (Interesting Topics on Migration)
• Immigration, Essay Prompt: Consider any issues such as how to deal with illegal immigrants, how to encourage new, productive immigrants, cost of illegal immigrants.

As you continue,  thestudycorp.com  has the top and most qualified writers to help with any of your assignments. All you need to do is  place an order  with us . Select a Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration and we will write the essau for you.

Argumentative Essay Ideas On Immigration with Prompts

• What Role Should The State Of Texas Play In The Immigration Policy
• No One Is Safe.’ How Trump’s Immigration Policy Is Splitting Families Apart Essay Prompt: In the past, people who immigrated to the US illegally and had criminal records were some of the most targeted, but now the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can pick up family members and separate them from their families.
• The economic impact of Immigration on the US economy Essay Prompt: Immigration has a significant impact on the United States economy. Immigration has enhanced economic development and has small to no effects on employment and wages for native-born workers.
• Describe Immigration Laws And Potential Illegal Immigrants
• Essay Prompt: You explore your position on the topic of immigration laws. Select an immigration law for this Discussion and consider whether or not that law is justifiable.
• The bad impact of Immigration on the U.S. economy. Essay Essay Prompt: Immigration is a hotly debated topic in the United States, especially in political circles. Over the years, millions of people have immigrated to the United States from all parts of the world and it has become a melting pot of cultures. (Interesting Topics on Migration)
• Impact of Immigration on American Cities Essay Prompt: The issue of immigration is a sensitive national topic in the United States. The topic’s sensitivity is fueled by several misconceptions about immigration and its impact on the United States. (Argumentative Essay Ideas On Immigration)
• Research Assignment on Enforcement of Immigration Laws Essay Prompt: Explain at least one challenge related to enforcing the laws at the state level. Provide an insight you had about the effectiveness of enforcement of laws. A Research Project On Migration.

Further read on Creative Synthesis Essay Topics & Ideas in 2022

If you care about immigration and want to make a difference, then you should consider writing an argumentative essay on one of these topics . Here are some ideas on Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration to get you started:

Immigration Research Paper Topics

• Immigration is Good to America: Immigration Makes Americans Less Isolated Globally Essay Prompt: Incorporate analysis of the reading and somebody’s personal experience to make a clear and precise argumentative essay on immigration.
• Republican Party Restrictions on Immigration Law Essay Essay Prompt: The US president Donald Trump is from the Republican Party with the decision made following the policies of the party. Republican Party has a strong stand on restrictions on immigrants which have caused unrest to blacks and minority groups in the US.
• Discuss one specific issue position from either the Democratic or Republican parties’ platforms, indicating whether you agree or disagree.
• Why The United States Should Adopt An Open Immigration Policy Essay Prompt: Two Viewpoints explaining why Immigration Must Be Restricted to Protect American Americans Against Terrorists and why the United States Should Adopt an Open Immigration Policy.
• Liberal Critique And Reform Of Immigration Policy Essay Prompt: Immigration reforms have remained fundamental similar to civil rights and desegregation throughout the history of the united states (US). In the past centuries, immigration reforms have been greatly influenced by the civil rights movement. As noted, the civil rights movement was about winning full and…
• Immigration, Pluralism, and Amalgamation Essay Prompt: The world has significantly transformed into a global village mainly due to technological advancement that has made almost every part of the world accessible. Consequently, migration has become a common aspect of modern life. These changes have prompted different countries to establish immigration policies…
• Essay Prompt: In the current interconnected world, global migration has turned out to be a reality that affects approximately all countries across the world. With advanced modern means of transport, people find it easier, cheaper and more convenient to move from one nation to another searching for employment.
• How to Strengthen America’s National Security
• Essay Prompt: Enhancing border control and enforcement of immigration laws are the two primary ideas that can effectively manage the problem of illegal immigration in the US. (Interesting Topics on Migration)
• Immigration Policy Impact on Economic, Security & Humanitarian Policy Essay Prompt: The current immigration policy has a far-reaching impact on humanitarian, security, and economic aspects. For instance, Migrant Protection Protocols by former President Trump prevents the imprisonment of asylum seekers, especially women and children, until the hearing of their case.
• Should American Citizenship be a Birthright? Research Paper Essay Prompt: The belief that everybody born in American soil becomes subject to the jurisdiction, hence citizens of the United States was included in the Constitution in 1868, in the 14th amendment.

These are just a few examples of Argumentative Essays Topics on Immigration. If you can find a topic that is relevant to your audience and that you are passionate about, you will be well on your way to writing a great argumentative essay .

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How temporary protected status has expanded under the biden administration.

Since January 2021, the Biden administration has greatly expanded the number of immigrants who are eligible for Temporary Protected Status.

How Hispanic Americans Get Their News

U.S.-born Latinos mostly get their news in English and prefer it in English, while immigrant Latinos have much more varied habits.

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U.S. Hispanics are less likely than other Americans to say increasing deportations or a larger wall along the border will help the situation.

U.S. Christians more likely than ‘nones’ to say situation at the border is a crisis

Majorities of White Christian groups say the large number of migrants seeking to enter at the border with Mexico is a “crisis” for the United States.

How Americans View the Situation at the U.S.-Mexico Border, Its Causes and Consequences

Just 18% of U.S. adults say the government is doing a good job dealing with the large number of migrants at the border. Eight-in-ten say it is doing a bad job, including 45% who say it’s doing a very bad job.

Migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a record high at the end of 2023

The U.S. Border Patrol had nearly 250,000 encounters with migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico in December 2023.

Language and Traditions Are Considered Central to National Identity

Across more than 20 countries surveyed, a median of 91% say being able to speak their country’s most common language is important for being considered a true national. And 81% say sharing their country’s customs and traditions is important for true belonging.

Discrimination Experiences Shape Most Asian Americans’ Lives

Most Asian adults in the U.S. have been treated as a foreigner or experienced incidents where people assume they are a “model minority.”

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The unauthorized immigrant population in the United States reached 10.5 million in 2021. That was a modest increase over 2019 but nearly identical to 2017.

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Most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish: 75% say they are able to carry on a conversation in Spanish pretty well or very well. But not all Latinos are Spanish speakers, and about half (54%) of non-Spanish-speaking Latinos have been shamed by other Latinos for not speaking Spanish.

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Lynch, Timothy E., The ICCPR, Non-Self-Execution, and DACA Recipients' Right to Remain in the United States (June 16, 2020). Georgetown Immigration Law Review, Vol. 34, 2020, Available at SSRN:  https://ssrn.com/abstract=3628600  

Campbell, Kristina Michelle, Dreamers Deferred: The Broken Promise of Immigration Reform in the Obama Years (December 1, 2019). 40 Immigr. & Nat'lity L. Rev. 265 (2019), Available at SSRN:  https://ssrn.com/abstract=4261492

Ryo, Emily, Representing Immigrants: The Role of Lawyers in Immigration Bond Hearings (July 19, 2018). Law & Society Review, Vol. 52: 503-531 (2018); USC CLASS Research Paper No. CLASS18-11; USC Law Legal Studies Paper No. 18-11. 

Gilman , Denise L., To Loose the Bonds: The Deceptive Promise of Freedom from Pre-Trial Immigration Detention (February 24, 2016). U of Texas Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 644. 

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What Is the Definition of Immigration Research Paper?

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Many students are given the assignment to write an immigration essay and run into a lot of problems while doing it. An essay on immigration is a rather serious area of ​​​​study and during the execution of this work, you should be attentive and focused.

In the immigration essay, the problem of immigration of citizens and the reasons are most often analyzed. Also, depending on your course and specialty, you can choose a more appropriate or simple topic related to immigration and study immigration laws.

An essay on immigration is a very interesting topic for discussion in college, as many students go to other countries on an exchange and want to stay there. Immigration has been popular for all years and various reasons.

Some citizens left their country because they did not see a future in it and aspired to a better life, and for some, immigration was a forced measure due to conflicts between countries. To write an essay on immigration, there is enough information that can be analyzed and researched.

Immigration research can be written on completely different topics, such as politics and forced emigration. Because this topic is quite extensive, students often have problems choosing a topic for their essays.

To make the difficult process of choosing a topic for an immigration essay easier for you, we have created a guide on how to choose the best topic and compiled lists of the most interesting and relevant topics related to immigration.

How to Choose a Perfect Immigration Essay Topic?

Many students have difficulty choosing a topic for an immigration essay. First of all, it is important to understand that a good topic will be interesting to you personally and relevant to readers.

Because the topic of immigration has many sources of information, choosing the topic that you would like to analyze, you can study immigration laws and read several sources to decide which area will be more interesting for you.

Also, to choose a successful immigration essay topic, you need to decide on the specific problem that you want to analyze because in this way you will be able to better explain your point of view. Good topics related to immigration are those that are interesting and relevant not only in your country but throughout the world. We have prepared a small hint so that you can easily and quickly select the desired theme:

• Read information about immigration, look at many sources, and try to delve into this topic. Once you are confident in your knowledge, you will be able to choose the best topic for your essay.
• Make a list of several topics and then narrow it down. This practice helps many students make difficult choices. To begin with, you can make a list of 5 topics about immigration that are the most understandable and interesting for you, then gradually look through the amount of information on this topic and narrow down the list until one best topic remains.
• Check out other essays on immigration. This option will help you understand what you need to write about and how it should look. In no case do not plagiarize, your essay must be unique, all you need to do is just look at examples of work.
• Browse the immigration information forums. Thanks to the fact that you get acquainted with the immigration forums, you will be able to analyze the communication of people and understand which issues are more relevant. Most often, on forums of this kind, they talk about problems and options for solving them, and this can be a wonderful and exciting topic for your papers.
• Choose a clear topic. To write a successful essay, it is important to understand what you are writing about. When choosing a topic, pay attention to how clear and interesting it is to you. If you understand the chosen topic, most likely your papers will be a success and a good mark from the teacher. Don’t choose a difficult topic which will be incomprehensible both for you and for readers.
• Ask for advice from elders. It’s no secret that the older generation is more educated and aware of the topic of immigration, as this topic has haunted representatives of different countries since ancient times. You can talk to people who have been victims of forced immigration or those who have done so voluntarily and write a unique and interesting article through this.

If you have any difficulties choosing a topic for your immigration essay or if you do not have enough time to complete the task yourself, you can always contact our service and experienced specialists will be happy to help you conduct immigration research. You can rely on us and be sure that your papers will be of high quality.

TOP-10 Hotly Discussed Immigration Topics

Immigration essays have become very popular in the modern world, as humanity is facing many problems such as pandemics, conflicts between countries, and much more. We have prepared a list of the top 10 hot topics for immigration research:

• The problem of immigration from Eastern Europe.
• The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Government Perspective.
• Have the immigration rules changed since 2018?
• Diversification of immigrants.
• Pros and cons of immigration.
• What problems do immigrants face?
• Fraud during immigration.
• Changing acceptance of immigrants in America under Biden.
• Analysis of immigration shelters.
• Refugees from different countries in the USA.

In this list, we have collected the most hotly debated immigration essay topics. After reviewing this list, you can choose the one most suitable for you and write successful papers. If you have any difficulties in choosing a topic or are in the process of writing, you can contact our service and professional writers will help you.

Our experienced specialists perform many such tasks everyday and know many fascinating research paper topics. In addition, they passed many tests of their knowledge before joining our team. You can be sure that your papers will be of high quality and that the work will be completed in the shortest possible time.

Best Immigration Research Ideas to Write About

When faced with the task of writing an immigration essay, students often don’t know which field to choose. Check out the list of the best immigration ideas you can write your research about:

• Pros and cons of temporary protected status.
• EU internal conflicts versus international conflicts.
• Immigration reform laws in the USA.
• Labor problems in the EU are associated with migrants.
• Pros and cons of measures at external borders.
• How do illegal immigrants affect the standard of living in the country?
• Switzerland is the country with the most immigrants.
• Causes of the European immigration crisis in 2015.
• Immigration laws when entering the United States.
• Conditions for moving US citizens to the EU.
• Immigrant checks.
• Railway connections.
• Which countries are the most filled with immigrants?
• How to get immigration labor benefits?
• How does culture influence the life of immigrants in a new country?
• What is the reason for the relocation of citizens of other countries to the EU?
• How can solving illegal immigration issues be achieved?
• What are some of the problems immigrants face?
• Immigrants and their behavior in society.
• What country do most people migrate from?

In this list, you have collected the best immigration essay topics you can write about. Since the topic of immigration is quite extensive, we recommend that you read the entire list before choosing the most suitable one. If you do not have enough time or experience to choose research paper topics on your own, contact our service, and professional writers will help you.

Arguing Immigration Topics for Your Paper

Before moving on to writing an immigration essay, you need to narrow down the options as much as possible and focus on the information that is in various sources. Read on for a few immigration topics you can use for your papers:

• Rights of minors during immigration.
• Migrants and the language barrier.
• Caring for migrant children.
• Sexual abuse of women in refugee shelters.
• The complex process of collecting immigration documents.
• Temporary residence status in the EU.
• Sociocultural conflicts between migrants and natives.
• Analysis of the connection of immigration laws with the everyday life of migrants?
• Problems of logistics for immigrants.
• Problems of students who came from other countries.
• What are the political reasons for immigration?
• Consequences of conflicts between Palestine and Israel.
• Persecution as a reason for immigration.
• Is it true that migrants leave their country for a better life?
• How does the environment affect the level of migration?
• Family problems related to immigration.
• Employment of immigrants.
• Pros and cons of exchange students.
• What are the benefits of migration to the EU?
• Immigration to America.

After reviewing these research paper topics, you will surely be able to choose the most suitable one, but if you have any difficulties, you can contact our service for help. Professional writers have been working on these types of assignments for years and can easily help make your immigration essay a success.

The Most Popular Immigration Essay Topics

To choose the most interesting topic for your immigration essay, you need to familiarize yourself with the list of the most popular ideas that are of interest to readers. Read a few immigration essay topics and choose the one that interests you the most:

• Analysis of attitudes towards Muslim immigrants.
• Cases of violence with foreign citizens.
• Cases of discrimination and racism against foreign citizens.
• The role of immigration officers for illegal immigrants.
• Does the adoption of a country depend on religious origin?
• What are the general rules for entering EU countries?
• Countries with the biggest immigration problems.
• How is the EU responding to the Yemen conflict?
• The attitude of law enforcement agencies to immigration.
• What protection is provided by illegal immigration to children?
• Attitudes towards immigrants in Canada.
• Cases of abuse of immigrants.
• The main reasons for illegal immigration.
• Migration crisis.
• Reasons why so many people choose to immigrate.
• How IT professionals from other countries are improving the Canadian economy.
• Immigrant healthcare.
• Income of immigrants: more or less than that of the natives?
• Attitude towards immigrants in the United States.

The most popular topics for your immigration research can make it truly successful. When choosing a suitable topic, you should pay attention not only to the question that is interesting to you but also to what readers will be interested to know about. Check out the list we have provided and choose the best topic that will help you get a high college score.

Illegal Immigration Research Paper Topics

When choosing topics for your immigration essay, you may encounter the actual problem of illegal immigration, which is quite relevant at the moment. Our service does its best to make the learning process easier for you, so we have prepared a list of illegal immigration essay topics:

• Reasons why immigration laws are violated.
• What problems do illegal immigrants face in the EU?
• Legal protection of illegal immigration in the USA.
• How is the deportation process going?
• Illegal immigration discuss.
• How the language barrier affects migrants when entering the country.
• Attitude towards illegal immigration in the USA.
• Analysis of real cases about the importation of migrants into the country.
• Has crime increased due to the increase in illegal immigration?
• Features of illegal immigration in the EU.

The topics of illegal immigration are relevant and quite extensive, so choosing this area of study will allow you to make a successful study that will be of interest to readers. If you do not have enough time or experience to choose illegal immigration essay topics on your own, contact our service, and professional writers will help you cope with this difficult task.

Interesting Ideas for Your Immigration Essay

Many students struggle with the problem of choosing interesting immigration essay topics because a fascinating topic is one of the components of successful work. Check out the list of interesting ideas for your immigration essay and choose the one that suits you best.

• How the economies of countries depend on illegal immigrants.
• How do immigrants get along with natives?
• Problems faced by immigrants when communicating with representatives of countries.
• Should migrants give up their culture?
• How is the deportation of illegal immigrants?
• How do migrants feel that they are welcome in a new country?
• Analysis of immigration laws.
• Immigration law in the USA.
• An analysis of the life of immigrants.
• Characteristics of illegal immigrants in America.
• How are immigrants received in different countries?
• What role has Australia played in the migration crisis?
• How does the United States treat migrants from Asian countries?
• Racism among immigrants.
• Germany and illegal immigration discuss.
• Why do IT people migrate most often?
• How do Portuguese citizens treat immigrants?
• How do wealthy people treat immigrants in their country?
• Forced migration.
• Historical study of illegal immigration.

With the help of these interesting immigration topics, you will be able to write a successful essay that the professor will give you a high score on. If you have any problems with writing immigration research for college, you can contact our service and experienced specialists will be happy to help you. Professional writers perform many such tasks every day and do them quickly and efficiently.

Contradicting Topics for Immigration Research Paper

The topic of immigration is quite serious at the global level, choosing one of the contradictory topics presented by us for the immigration essay, you will be able to write successful papers and get a high score from the teacher:

• What threat do immigrants pose to US citizens?
• How can immigrants ensure their safety?
• How to successfully pass the citizenship test?
• Is dual citizenship legal?
• Pros and Cons of the American Green Card.
• What role does marriage play in EU residency?
• Analysis of illegal immigration.
• Immigration to the USA in the 1900s.
• What you need to do to get the legal status of an American citizen.
• Modern citizenship laws in the United States.
• How is the pandemic affecting the number of migrants?
• What role does the media play in immigrants?
• Protection of the rights of immigrants.
• Economic problems associated with migrants.
• Reasons why Spaniards immigrate.

This list consists of the most controversial and interesting immigration essay topics and you can choose one of them for yourself and get a good college grade. Turn to our service for professional help with your writing assignments, because we only work with professional writers who have passed many checks before joining our team.

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71 Illegal Immigration Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for illegal immigration essay topics? The issue of undocumented immigration is hot, controversial, and worth exploring.

• 📝 Essay: How to Write

👍 Essay Topics & Examples

🔍 research paper topics & examples, ❓ questions about illegal immigration for research paper.

Illegal immigration refers to undocumented migration of people into a county in violation of the according immigration laws of that country. Illegal immigrants face a number of problems, like the risk of being enslaved, health problems due to the lack of access to public health systems, and many more. Whether you’re planning to write a 5-paragraph essay or a thesis about illegal immigration, the article below will be helpful. Here you’ll find everything all you might need to write an A+ immigration essay. There are research paper ideas, tips, & illegal immigration essay examples.

📝 Illegal Immigration Essay: How to Write

Illegal immigration essays are familiar to anyone studying sociology, politics, human rights, and other similar subjects. Today, there is plenty of information about illegal immigration on the Internet, so you shouldn’t worry about finding things to write about. What you absolutely need to pay attention to is the structure. The tips in this post will help you to nail your next illegal immigration essay!

Tip 1: Create a list of possible topics. Illegal immigration is a rather broad subject, so you will need to narrow it down a little bit. For example, you may want to write about the pros and cons of illegal immigration. Argumentative papers on this subject could be particularly successful if your points are strong and supported by evidence.

Tip 2: Write down a title. You may want to postpone this step until you’re one-on-one with the paper, but finding the right title will aid you in structuring the essay. There are numerous online resources that you could use to browse illegal immigration essay topics and titles. If nothing comes to mind, compose a thesis statement and use it as a preliminary title to help you focus.

Tip 3: Collect ideas. While you may have studied illegal immigration already, don’t write down any points until you’ve done your research. Be sure to check a variety of sources, including scholarly articles, government reports, newspaper articles, and editorial pieces. This will ensure that your overview of the chosen theme is comprehensive. Try to avoid sites such as Wikipedia, online encyclopedias, and blogs. While there may be some good points there, your tutor will most likely reject sources that are not academic quality. Hence, you should stick to publications from reputable sources to avoid losing marks! Write down all the key statements, information, and arguments that you can find online.

Tip 4: Prepare an outline. An outline is the backbone of your paper on illegal immigration. Argumentative essay outline examples would usually include an introduction, two points supporting your position, one point against it, a rebuttal, and a conclusion. A persuasive paper would have a different outline, with more supporting points and no opposing opinions. An informative essay will have an introduction, background, three to five main points, and a conclusion. Create a basic outline for the chosen essay type and don’t worry about adding information to each section yet.

Tip 5: Organize your points in a sequence. Now, return to the list of points you’ve already made and see which ones fit into the outline nicely. The most general information should go into the introduction, where you describe the problem and your approach. You should finish your introduction with an illegal immigration essay thesis to show the focus of the paper. In the next sections, your points should escalate in complexity. For example, you can start with the history of immigration, then consider recent data on undocumented immigrants, and then discuss the opportunities for immigration reform. Write each point as a topic sentence and ensure that they follow in a logical sequence. Delete any information that doesn’t fit – you won’t regret it later!

A paper structured based on these tips will be interesting to read and earn your tutor’s approval. If you need to write an essay about immigration in the United States, don’t forget to check our free sample papers!

• Free-rider Problem and Illegal Immigration The issue of free riding is inevitable in each and every country because of the presence of the presence of minors, tax evaders and illegal immigrants just to mention but a few.
• Illegal Immigration Policies and Violent Crime The authors of this article discuss how illegal immigration and border enforcement influence the level of crime along the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Strategies for Solving the Issue of Illegal Immigration in the US The first one is enforcing the measures preventing it, and the second one is changing immigration policy in order to make legalization easier.
• The Birth of Illegal Immigration In addition, Americans blamed Chinese immigrants for low wages and the unemployment rate, which further influenced the ban on Asians to move to the U.S.
• Illegal Immigration Control in the Texas Although the public assigns immense powers to the governor’s office, Texas’ office of the governor enjoys weak institutional powers because of the constitution’s provision of multiple offices that server alongside the office of the governor.
• The Illegal Immigration Prevention Policy For example, one of the biggest of them would be the necessity to analyze all the gathered information. Therefore, it is safe to assume that there would be no shortage of information for the Chef […]
• Hispanic Americans as Illegal Immigration Thus a historical loyalty to the Democratic Party is still sustained even today At 15% the Hispanic-American population of the United States makes up the fastest growing minority in the United States.
• Illegal Immigration: Difference in Covering the Matter The aim of the paper is to discover the difference in covering the matter of illegal migration to Canary Islands from sub-Saharan including periodical issues, radio broadcasts, and a photo, in order not only to […]
• Ethics of Illegal Immigration Effects on the US As such, the Immigration Act of 1924 was established, which promoted the immigration of foreign citizens into the US to meet these requirements, and also created several objective preconditions for foreigners to consider entering America […]
• Illegal Immigration Issue in the USA The secure border could also be considered one of the possible solutions to the problem of illegal immigration as it will help to control this very aspect.
• Illegal Immigration, Its Causes, Methods, Effects It is the duty of immigration officers to update all the expired visas and ensure that either they are renewed or the victims leave the country.
• Illegal Immigration Crisis: Problems and Solutions For example, federal policy has led to the involvement of local law enforcement as immigration agents who have inherited the responsibilities of checking citizenship status and detaining those failing to produce documentation.
• Illegal Immigration as a Major Problem for the USA However, when it comes to defining the factors contributing to the growth of the unemployment rates among the local population, not only the growth of the number of immigrants, but also the quality of the […]
• America and the Problem of Illegal Immigration The presence of the illegal immigrants, commonly known as illegal aliens, is such massive numbers has brought the issue of illegal immigration to the limelight of the U.S.political scene, to the halls of Congress, and […]
• Sheriff Joe’s Illegal Immigration in Arizona Often dubbed as the “toughest sheriff in the United States”, the sheriff has the numbers to back his fight against illegal immigrants in his county.
• Illegal Immigration in the United States Another factor that calls for strict application of the law for the deportation of illegal immigrants in the United States is the fact that the legislation that has been in existence has provided avenues for […]
• Illegal Immigration Problem in the United States The fences that were set up to deter entry only covered part of the border and in the past decade, the government has been searching for better ways to control entry into the United States.
• Illegal Immigration in the USA Some of the most secure cities in the countries happen to be in the south. Kane and Johnson also add that immigrants are not a problem to the country’s economy; consequently, anti-immigration laws need not […]
• Is the Legalization of Illegal Aliens a Good Solution to Illegal Immigration in America? Huge numbers of illegal immigrants come from the southern borders of the US and especially on the US-Mexico border and to the north; the US-Canada border.
• Role of Frontex in Combating Illegal Immigration in the European Union Territory Surveillance on external borders With its headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, the European Agency for the management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the member states of the European Union is a body, which […]
• Illegal Immigration in the United States as an Economic Burden Finally, the economic challenge of illegal immigration also undermines the educational system in the United States. As it has been mentioned before, the illegal immigration in the Unites States creates both opportunities and shortcomings for […]
• Migration and National Security The author has noted that there is a close relationship between immigrants and these issues and this call for the need to evaluate the application of these policies in controlling the activities of immigrants in […]
• The Issue of Muslims’ Immigration to Australia This increase was especially noticeable in the late 1940s and the early 1950s, following the overthrow of the monarchy in Egypt, resulting in the rise of the Arab nationalist movement.
• Stopping Illegal Immigration: Border Security The other reason for the need to stop illegal immigration is that the Illegal aliens are weighing down many systems in the country.
• Illegal Immigration in the United States The name of the article to be critiqued is, ‘The Economics and Policy of Illegal Immigration in the United States’. One of the hypotheses that have been supported by the article is that policymakers across […]
• Immigration and Illegal Foreigners in Japan However, the economic boom of the mid 1980s necessitated the use of foreign workers and this marked the first wave of immigrants in Japan.
• Effects of illegal immigration on the economy of the United States and the measures that be taken to minimize the effect The study will include the demographics of the illegal immigration, its history, the immigration policy, and the impact that the illegal immigration has on the economy of the United States.
• How Has Immigration Transformed the Life and Culture of London Over the Past 150 Years? Except in the recent years where the number has decreased as a result of the heightening recession, people seeking employment have always constituted the largest number of the total inflows in the UK.
• Socio-Economic Benefits of Immigrant Population in the US and Canada Immigration in the United States and Canada in the Post Hart-Cella Act and Canadian Immigration Act Era This paper addresses the socio-economic benefits of immigrant population in the United States of America and Canada.
• Illegal Immigration to the United States Fox News has argued that it is very difficult to actually determine how an increase in the number of illegal immigrants gets to affect the rate of crime in the United States.
• Economic advantages and disadvantages of immigration into the U.S. According to Geigenberger, because of this inability to get taxes from the majority of the immigrants, the government is always strained in the achievement of objectives.
• The Impacts of Illegal Immigration on the Country of Destination The illegal immigrants find a new life and find means of serving in the new destination, accordingly the country of destination realize some changes. Waldo disagree that illegal immigrants contribute to the economy of the […]
• Immigration Reform and the Economic Impact The emergence of immigration policy from the comprehensive immigration reform primarily seeks to implement a flexible legal immigration platform that would leverage the economic situations of the United States. The national GDP depends on the […]
• Immigration Bill in US This essay seeks to prove that it is proper for such people to acquire citizenship in the United States of America through the passing of the pending immigration bill.
• The Issue of Illegal Immigration On the other hand, opponents of immigration depict immigrants as a menace to the American people as it promotes the rise in criminal activities and causes an economic and social burden to taxpayers.
• Illegal Immigration: Views of Policy Makers, Media and General Public Illegal immigration into the U.S.is a billion dollar question that has fueled considerable public debate within the country in the past few years due the inherent social and economic costs that illegal immigration places on […]
• The Impact of Immigration on the Economy of the USA The USA is one of the most attractive countries to come for many specialists and workers from different countries of the World.
• Argument for Measures to Control Illegal Immigration One of the impacts of such immigration is the financial burden that is laid on the government in terms of making provisions for the immigrants.
• The Unemployed and Illegal Immigrants in the United States Are More Likely to Be Involved in Crime Than the Employed and Legal Immigrants The criteria of selection for the literature will be the relevance to the research topic as well as the year of publication.
• History of the Illegal Immigration into the U.S. It also proposes some policies to be implemented by the government in a bid to curtail the demerits of illegal immigrants When the house is granting citizenship to illegal immigrant, it should take note of […]
• Economic Contribution of Slaves and Present Day Legal and Illegal Immigration In Europe, slavery peaked in the fourteenth and ended in the late twentieth century after the emancipation of serfdom. The economy of a country is undoubtedly the last receptor of the effects of illegal immigrants.
• Illegal Immigrants and Amnesty: A Pro Argument This is given that the illegal immigrants will now be able to participate fully in the economy. However, they are of the view that, as much as this might be the case, this is not […]
• Legal Immigration versus Illegal Immigration in America Due to the large number of illegal immigrants in the U. Legal immigration in America is accompanied by introduction of new skills to the country.
• Implications of Illegal Immigration in the US According to politicians, an increase in the number of illegal immigrants is highly likely to destabilize the law of the land, as well as disrupt the government’s planning and implementation of the labor market laws.
• Analyzing the Issue of Illegal Immigration in the US Illegal immigration is one of the main disasters of the USA. The Mexico illegal immigrants remain one of the most devastating problems of the USA.
• Arizona Immigration Law: What For? Lately though, the signing of an immigration law that seems to curtail the freedom of the people by Governor Jan Brewer rattled some feathers not only in the state, but in the larger US and […]
• Does Border Enforcement Protect U.S. Workers From Illegal Immigration?
• Does Illegal Immigration Empower Rightist Parties?
• How Illegal Immigration Effects the Economy and the School System in the U.S.?
• How Should America Handle Illegal Immigration?
• Who Has the Most Impact on Illegal Immigration Policy?
• Why the Border Fence May Not Be the Solution for the Illegal Immigration?
• Why the Federal Government Can’t End Illegal Immigration in the US?
• What Are the Common Causes of Illegal Immigration?
• What Is the Role of Smugglers in Illegal Immigration and Border Enforcement?
• What Is the Effect of Illegal Immigration on the Hospitality and Food Industry?
• What Is President Donald Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy Effect on Illegal Immigration?
• What Are the Welfare Effects of Illegal Immigration?
• What Are the Emerging Geopolitics of Illegal Immigration in the EU?
• What Is the Rational Approach to Illegal Immigration?
• What Is Theory of Permissible Illegal Immigration?
• What Are the Links Between Illegal Immigration and Organized Crime?
• What Are the Strategic Perspectives on Illegal Immigration Into South Africa?
• What Are the Perspectives and Challenges of Asylum Policy and Illegal Immigration?
• How Illegal Immigration Laws Affect the Economic of Texas?
• What Is the All-American Canal and What Are Its Effects on Illegal Immigration?
• What Is the Controversy Surrounding Arizona’s Anti-illegal Immigration Legislation?
• Why Is Turkey a Transit Country for Illegal Immigration to EU?
• What Is the Role of Informality, Taxation and Trade in Illegal Immigration?
• What Is the European Union’s Anti-illegal Immigration Discourse?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Birds of a Feather: Sharing Democratic Values Eases Immigration in a Postmaterialist Society

• Original Paper
• Published: 03 October 2023

Cite this article

• Jin Jiang 1 ,
• Shouzhi Xia 2 &
• Dong Zhang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9350-3253 3  

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Although prior research has proposed multiple approaches to reducing anti-immigrant discrimination, less is known about whether priming a shared political ideology works. Integrating a text analysis and a pre-registered survey experiment, we study Hong Kong residents’ attitudes toward mainland Chinese immigrants. By employing the structural topic model, we analyze more than 4,000 Hong Kong newspaper articles on mainland immigrants between 2003 and 2020 and show that the political implications of mainland immigration have gained increasing attention in mass media, whereas economic and social concerns have waned in salience. Resonating with this analysis, our survey experiment reveals that when exposed to a vignette priming mainland immigrants’ support for democratic values, young adults in Hong Kong are less likely to support restrictive immigration policies for mainland Chinese. We also find that priming immigrants’ economic contribution and cultural integration, as well as natives’ family history, has limited effects on Hongkongers’ immigration attitudes.

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Divided by Income? Policy Preferences of the Rich and Poor Within the Democratic and Republican Parties

Propaganda, Presumed Influence, and Collective Protest

Blame it on my youth: the origins of attitudes towards immigration

Data availability.

The data replication files are available at Harvard Dataverse, see: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/KALTKV .

The International Organization for Migration, “World Migration Report 2020,” https://bit.ly/ 3JIMhYS (last accessed on August 10, 2023).

Mainland China is the largest source of immigrants to Hong Kong (see Fig. A1 of the Online Appendix).

The One-way Permit (OWP) scheme is one major channel for mainland Chinese to migrate to Hong Kong (see Fig. A1 of the Online Appendix).

See Hong Kong 2016 Population By-census, https://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/en/bc-mt.html (last accessed on August 10, 2023).

BBC News , June 29, 2017. “Cantonese v Mandarin: When Hong Kong Languages Get Political.”

https://bbc.in/3GFpdsj (last accessed on August 10, 2023).

The media portrayal of mainland visitors is likely to have an impact on local residents’ perceptions toward mainland people including mainland immigrants. Keywords such as “mainland tourists” (內地客/內地遊客/內地旅) and “parallel traders” (水貨客) were used to filter relevant coverage on mainland visitors. We have obtained 3,925 news articles about mainland visitors.

See Table B1 of the Online Appendix for the full list of newspapers and magazines.

We also take into account certain topic modeling parameters such as Semantic Coherence and Exclusivity (see Fig. B2 of the Online Appendix).

See Table B3 for the original news article.

We preregistered the experiment with AsPredicted in September 2021 ( https://aspredicted.org/Q97_Z65 ).

YouGov employed quota sampling based on the general population of Hong Kong and provided post-

weighting to the final sample by referring to census statistics. For details, see Table C4 of the Online Appendix.

Kustov et al. ( 2021 ) demonstrate that the public’s attitudes toward immigrants are quite stable, and are shaped more by socialization and pre-dispositions than by exposure to new information. This finding may help us understand why the priming effects on Hong Kong respondents’ attitudes toward mainlanders are not strong in our study. Moreover, Carnahan et al. ( 2021 ) show that the significant and durable treatment effect of new information is associated with repeated exposure. The treatments in our experiment were one-shot, which may have made it difficult to obtain a substantial treatment effect.

While acknowledging the overlap between political ideology and group identification in the Hong Kong context, it is difficult to attribute the acceptance of mainland immigrants by locals to their group identity because Hong Kong identity is not only associated with democratic values but also involves clear anti- mainland elements. Prior research has documented that a strong sense of Hong Kong identity is a crucial factor contributing to discrimination or hostility toward mainlanders by local residents (Chow et al., 2020 ; Lee et al., 2016 ).

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Wanjing Chen, James Druckman, Yusaku Horiuchi, Dongshu Liu, Wen Wang, Han Zhang, and Wenjuan Zheng for helpful comments and suggestions.

This study draws on part of the data collected from the online survey of a research project (Project Number: 2019.A3.019.19C.A2) funded by the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme from the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The authors acknowledge this funding support.

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Jiang, J., Xia, S. & Zhang, D. Birds of a Feather: Sharing Democratic Values Eases Immigration in a Postmaterialist Society. Polit Behav (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-023-09900-y

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