More Indians Becoming US Citizens

More Indians Becoming US Citizens

Washington: A new study by the Pew Hispanic Centre said that the rate of legal immigrants from India becoming US citizens has gone up from 56 per cent in 1995 to 65 per cent in 2005.

While the number of legal immigrants from all over the world becoming US citizens rose, figures indicated that 1,33,000 Indians in a total eligibility pool of 2,48,000 were in the soon – to – be naturalized category in 2005.

Immigrant residents with higher levels of education and better English skills are more likely to naturalise, Passel Jeffrey, the centre’s senior research associate said. “Today’s becoming US citizens,” he said.

An additional 8.5 million legal immigrants are eligible to naturalize, but that group is made up of those who are least likely to do so. “They tend to be poorer; they tend to speak English less well and have lower levels of education,” Passel said.

The White House also has devised a new plan to address the problem of about 12 million illegal immigrants, including some 300,000 Indians, on whom many employers in the US rely.

Worked out in closed – door meetings with the Republican senators the draft plan would grant work visas to undocumented immigrants but require them to return home and pay hefty fines to become legal US residents.

Under the plan, undocumented workers could apply for three year work visas, dubbed as “Z” visas. They would be renewal would cost $3,500 each time.

The undocumented workers would have legal status with the visas, but to get a green card, they’d have to return to their home country, apply at a US embassy or consulate to re-enter legally and pay a $10,000 fine.

While most illegal immigrants to the US come from Mexico, the number of those from India grew during the last five years, according to official estimates.

A scheme to make more green cards available to skilled workers by limiting visas for parents, children and siblings of US citizens and one that would prohibit temporary workers from bringing family members is one of the plan’s more controversial provisions.

More Indians Becoming US Citizens

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