Immigrant Group

Indians are one immigrant group that is among the top immigrant groups in the U.S. Indeed, after Mexicans, Indians make up the largest immigrant population in America (Zong & Batalova, 2017). Many individuals in this population are skilled workers, particularly in the information technology (IT) sector, and have been awarded visas as part of the U.S.’s H-1B temporary visa program, which often serves as the gateway to becoming citizens. Other Indians have expanded into the restaurant business and the gas station/convenience store industry in the U.S. Indians typically make more money than the average American in the U.S. and are thus considered part of the middle to upper-middle class, with average annual incomes of over $100,000 (Zong & Batalova, 2017). Their socioeconomic status is good in the economic sense; however, Indians are still portrayed in popular media (from The Simpsons to Deadpool) as being outside the norm.

As India is a diverse country itself, the racial background of Indians—while generically Asian—is quite diversified, as is evident by the languages Indian immigrants in the U.S. speak: a quarter of them speak the Indian national language, Hindi; 13% speak Telugu, 12% speak Guajarati, 9% Tamil, and 8% Punjabi (Zong & Batalova, 2017). The main push and pull factors contributing to the migration patterns of this group are the advantages of securing a position in the IT industry in the U.S. and the lack of opportunities in India to rise up from the lower classes to the upper classes (much more possible in the U.S. than it is in India because of the caste system). The reception of Indians by Americans is favorable in the most part, as Indians are offered high paying IT jobs, and excel more than all other immigrants at securing positions in upper management (Zong & Batalova, 2017). Political openness helps to contribute to this reception as does the development of Silicon Valley. Indians in turn are impacted by this reception in a favorable way and bring their families to live in the U.S. once they themselves are established.

References

Zong, J. & Batalova, J. (2017). Indian immigrants in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/indian-immigrants-united-states