Knowledge Base
What is the trade deficit?
The trade deficit is the difference between the imports and exports in a country. When a country imports more than it exports, it runs a trade deficit. When it exports more than it imports, it runs a trade surplus.
The United States imported $2.7 trillion and exported $2.2 trillion in goods and services in 2016 (Source). Its trade deficit was $500 million.
Who are America’s largest trading partners?
America’s largest trading partner in goods is China, followed by Canada, Mexico, Japan, and then Germany (Source).
What is the difference between a temporary visa and a permanent residency card?
People come to the United States on two tracks. The first is as a visitor with non-permanent intentions. The second track is for those who wish to work and live in the United States for the long-term. Various temporary visas exist, from short-term tourist visas to work visas that do not grant a path to permanent residency. Permanent resident cards, or as they’re more commonly known “Green cards,” grant holders the same basic rights and protections as citizens, although political rights like the right to vote are not included.
How many legal immigrants come to America each year?
America has averaged about one million permanent new residents a year for the last few decades. The Department of Homeland Security’s “Immigration Data & Statistics” page has the relevant data here.
What makes an individual eligible for an asylum status?
Asylum status may be granted to those who have suffered persecution or fear due to their race, religion, nationality, affiliation with a particular social group, or political opinion and are in need of protection. Individual can apply for asylum if they are arriving in or already physically present in the U.S. They, however, cannot bring their family until they are granted an asylum status.