The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 | Asian Americans

Learn how the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, resulted in the review of immigration laws. From the early 1800s to 1965, Asian Americans’ rights to immigration and citizenship in the United States were severely limited by a series of immigration laws that focused directly on Asians. As immigration laws came under review, the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Hart-Celler Act) removed the quota system, instead opting for a system that relied on “preferences” for immigrants in highly skilled fields that the Department of Labor deemed understaffed or who had existing family relationships within the United States.