immigrants

As countries develop people tend to have fewer children and the United States is no exception. To maintain a growing population the country needs immigration. The US has historically been the place where people want to come. The US should have a program to take in 2 million immigrants per year and do so using a merit system. The door should be open to all countries but based on the needs of the United States. Immigrants should be able to be self supporting when they get here. These potential citizens have the best chance of success if they have certain qualities starting with fluency in English. They should be young, under 40 and healthy with certain skills. The country needs people who are trained as teachers and in health care, people with constructions and technical skills. There is also a need for unskilled workers who will take lower paying jobs but if they are proficient in English have the opportunity to move up the ladder. While the United States has 4.5% of the worlds population we have 20% of the worlds immigrants. Immigrants have been the backbone of America since the beginning and will continue to be so in the future but the country can afford to be selective. Just has we have a citizenship test we need an immigrant test but most of all we need an immigration policy that promotes the above ideas.