How it Works

July 1 marks the ending of the first year of operation of the new Immigration Act. How does it work? How has it worked? Figures given out by the State Department last week, on the number of immigrant visas issued abroad since last July, while not complete for the entire year, tell the story.

Nations whose quotas were filled or so nearly filled in early June as to indicate that they would be entirely so by the end of the year include:

Germany. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51,227 Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 34,007 Irish Free State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,567 Sweden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,561 Norway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,453 Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,982 France. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,954 Czecho-Slovakia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,073 Denmark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,789 Russia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,248 Switzerland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,081 Netherlands. . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,648 Austria. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 785 Yugo-Slavia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 671 Rumania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . 603 Belgium. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 Portugal . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503 Hungary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473 Finland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471 _________ 155,618

These are all the nations whose quotas are more than 400 except Italy and represent by far the greatest bulk of the immigration. Italy with a quota of 3,845, had issued visas to only 2,487 immigrants by the end of the first week in June (the latest report). This condition in Italy must be artificial, as a far greater number of Italians are known to be anxious to come to this country. The Italian Government as well as our consuls have been picking the immigrants, which may have had a retarding influence. The Italian quota may be filled by July 1.

The only nations which have sent no immigrants are a few of the minor ones with quotas of 100; a roster of nowheres: Afghanistan, British Cameroon, Nepal, New Guinea, Ruanda and Urundi, Tanganyika, Yap, to which number should probably be added the countries on which no report has been made at all: Andorra, Ethiopia, Liberia, Muscat, Nauru, Siam, the Togolands (British and French). Practically within this group are countries which have sent less than five immigrants : Arabian Peninsula, French Cameroon, Japan,* Monaco, Samoa, Southwest Africa.

If the object of the Immigration Law was to get desirable immigrants from northern and western Europe, it has certainly succeeded. About 90% of the immigrant countries with quotas (filled or nearly filled) belong to that classification or its equivalent.

The National Industrial Conference Board furnished additional figures, calculated that from July, 1924, to April, 1925, 27,908 unskilled laborers were admitted to the U. S. and 44,750 left the country, leaving a "deficit" of 16,842.

*The 3 immigrants listed from Japan are, of course, of Caucasian or African stock, since no Asiatics are admitted as immigrants. China filled her quota of 100 on the same basis.