As seen in the first graph, based on information compiled in The Newest New Yorkers 2000, about 98 – 99% of all Dominican immigrants entered NYC through family-based visas and immediate relative preference visas while the remaining percentage of immigrants entered mostly through employment-based visas. As seen in the second graph, which depicts the means of entry for Dominican immigrants who obtained legal permanent status to NYC in 2011, 98 – 99% of the 46,109 Dominicans came to NYC on family-based and immediate relative preference visas. These results are comparable to the result depicted in the first graph, despite the fact that the sample size in the second graph is smaller than in the first graph. But bear in mind that the first graph considers all of these Dominican immigrants who came to NYC through the entire 1990s, whereas the second graph only depicts one year of this immigration (2011 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics). Nevertheless, the results are similar. Like in the first graph, the second graph shows that a majority of Dominican immigrant families come to NYC after at least one member of the family has gained permanent residency or citizenship. The New Economics of Migration Theory can explain this trend because it shows that migration is a family decision that is perpetuated by economic opportunities and lives of modern urban comforts in NYC.
Sources:
The Newest New Yorkers 2000. Rep. New York City Department of Planning, Oct. 2004. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/census/newest_new_yorkers_2000.pdf>.
“2011 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.” Dhs.gov. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Sept. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. <http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2011/ois_yb_2011.pdf>.
