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

handle is hein.journals/ajicl35 and id is 507 raw text is: AN OVERVIEW OF THE US IMMIGRATION SYSTEM AND COMPARISON WITH MERIT-BASED IMMIGRATION SYSTEMS IN LIGHT OF THE PROPOSED RAISE ACT Grace H. Parsons* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................469 II. OVERVIEW OF CURRENT US IMMIGRATION POLICY ON ADMISSIONS..............473 A. Family-Based Immigration to the United States....................475 B. Employment-Based Immigration to the United States..........................478 C. Unauthorized Immigration to the United States..... .............481 III. OVERVIEW OF PROPOSED US LEGISLATION: THE RAISE ACT ....... ......482 IV. MERIT-BASED IMMIGRATION SCHEMES IN FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS .............485 A. Canada's Immigration System ..................................486 B. Australia's Immigration System.............................490 V. WOULD POINT-BASED IMMIGRATION WORK FOR THE UNITED STATES?.........493 VI. CONCLUSION....................................................... 497 I. INTRODUCTION The United States has more immigrants living within its borders than any other country in the world.' It has often been characterized as a nation of * J.D. Candidate, 2019, University of Arizona, James E. Rogers College of Law. Special thanks to Professor Nina Rabin for her guidance and input; to my coworkers at the Law Offices of Robert D. Ahlgren & Associates for their dedication to immigrant families; and to my incredible friends and family (especially those who actually read all thirty pages). Finally, I would like to thank Leah A. Duckett Gray for her passion, intelligence, and mentorship as an indomitable advocate for immigrant clients. Even though she lost her battle with leukemia, she will forever continue to inspire. I Phillip Connor & Gustavo Lopez, 5 facts about the U.S. rank in worldwide migration, PEw RES. CTR. (May 18, 2016), http://www.pewresearch.org/fact- tank/201 6/05/18/5-facts-about-the-u-s-rank-in-worldwide-migration/ (based on 2015 UN data which counted persons born in US territories, such as Puerto Rico, as immigrants). While recent data shows that the United States has the highest total number of immigrants, those immigrants make up a lower proportion of the overall US population than immigrants in many other countries. See id. For example, in 2015, immigrants accounted for roughly