How the Immigration Act of 1965 Reshaped South Asian Immigration

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 transformed immigration opportunities for South Asians. The national-origins quota system that existed from the 1920s to 1965 heavily favored Europeans; this all changed when President Lyndon B. Johnson abolished the law that based immigration on race and ethnicity. This new system focuses on accepting immigrants on the basis of family sponsorship and employment-based visas. While there were still caps on immigration with annual limits per country and global immigration ceilings, the law still changed everything for Indians in America. 

Prior to 1965, conditions were very difficult for Indians. Only about 100 individuals were allowed from India, and so by 1960, there were only about 12,000 Indian immigrants in the United States. They also faced many restrictions like the Alien Land Laws, restricting property ownership, and were also denied citizenship, which was fought for in the Bhagat Singh Thind case. This act opened up large-scale immigration potential and created conditions for sustained South Asian settlement. 

Although family connections were the primary cause of immigration, employment-based categories had the impact they did due to growth in higher education systems in India. As the U.S. immigration system was favoring skilled laborers and education-based migration, India was producing more globally competitive skilled workers. This allowed an increasing number of Indians to be eligible to migrate. 

The impact of this act can be seen so clearly. The Indian immigrant population has grown rapidly to over 5 million consistently. This increase was also in part due to the Immigration Act of 1990 and the H-1B green card system as a pathway for citizenship. Indians have become the households with the highest median income; their average is almost twice the national mean. 

Overall, the 1965 Immigration Act was a turning point for South Asian immigration to the United States. It transformed the South Asian population from a small, isolated population to one of the fastest-growing and arguably one of the most successful immigrant communities.