Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

The diversity of Filipinos all over the world is evident. In fact, Filipinos comprise 1.7 million of the United States’ population making them the second largest immigrant group in the country after Mexican immigrants. Why is it that migration has become an inevitable part of the economic trend in the country?

Between 2000 and 2008, three states saw the size of their Filipino immigrants grow by 25,000 people or more; while recent data states that an estimated 8.1 million Filipinos—nearly 10 percent of the country’s 85 million people—were working and/or residing in close to 200 countries and territories, supplying all kinds of skilled and low-skilled workers to the world’s more developed regions.

Ever since the 1960’s the Philippines has sent the largest number of immigrant professionals to the United States particularly nurses, doctors, and medical technologists. Similarly, there were also a high proportion of international students enrolled in American universities. The majority of these students chose not to return home.

Majority of Filipinos migrate to other countries for a stable life; a life where presumably your hard work and dedication will be well compensated. For much of the 20th century, "international migration" for the Filipinos meant going to the United States and its Pacific territories.

The Philippines’ ascent as a major labor exporter in Asia fueled the inclination towards further migration to countries such as United States, Africa, Middle East, Europe and neighboring more developed Asian country, a major contributing factor in economic growth of the country. For the families of migrant workers, remittances are generally spent on fulfilling the basic needs of the family, better housing, and educational opportunities for children, and starting or investing in small businesses. According to a 2005 World Bank report, the Philippines is the fifth-largest recipient of remittance flows after India, China, Mexico and France.

What are the impacts of migration to countries like United States? According to a study, millions of Filipinos who have migrated to the US have contributed to the country’s economy because the trend explicitly improves US employment, productivity, and income. But the rigidity of the immigration system in the United States makes the transparency of these benefits a bit insignificant in general.