New York is currently and historically one of the states which immigration has the most effect. After all, many from around the country had ancestry who came through Ellis Island. And not much has changed, as New York is only second to California in terms of permanent residents in 2008. New York had almost 150,000 new legal permanent residents in 2008, while California had close to 250,000 new permanent residents.

Let’s focus on New York. What has the impact been on New York with so many living here? It’s clear New York has been one of the most populous place for both citizens and permanent residents, but the effect of new immigrants can always have positive and negative effects.

First, what does permanent residency mean? What’s a green card?

A green card and permanent residency mean you have the right to live and work in the U.S., and travel in and out with few restrictions. You cannot vote, and technically can be deported if you break laws.

Most with green cards are family members of U.S. citizens. Often naturalized immigrants have children here and these children are considered U.S. citizens, so if you’ve been naturalized, you can expect your children to be U.S. citizens.

Many also get permanent resident status (green cards) through marriage. This is technically legal, but has been abused in the past and occasionally is abused today. You must in a sense prove you intend to marry your spouse and have serious feelings; otherwise it might look suspect. If you already have children with this spouse, it’s often an easier argument to prove you do indeed want to marry this person.

Before we move onto the impact permanent residents have had in New York state, what has  the impact been nationwide? In 2010, the foreign-born population in the U.S. is expected to reach 43 million, which is almost 14 percent of the total. While this may seem to be a large number, in years past there have been ever more foreign-born living permanently in the country. Canada, for example, has a 17 percent foreign-born population, while Australia has almost 25 percent. So it’s not an event localized to the U.S.

As for New York, the state traditionally with high foreign-born permanent residents, the numbers are different. While it used to be the majority flocked to New York and other large states such as California, when you compare 1995 to 2000, less immigrants have flocked to the traditionally large states, and more have gone to North Carolina, Georgia, and Nevada in large numbers.

That said, New York is still #2 on the list of total permanent immigrants in 2008, with about 144,000. That’s a number which has varied in recent years, but typically you can expect California to be #1 for new permanent immigrants and New York #2.

With 144,000 new residents, and such a problematic economy, it’s safe to say new permanent residence may have trouble finding work here. New York has  one of the highest unemployment rates in the US, over 10 percent by recent numbers, with new jobs added stats going down.

The impact may not be negative. With the economy slowly rebounding, and the New York unemployment rate going down in recent months, you can expect to find more jobs. To make sure you can work in the state as a permanent resident,  you must always follow the laws, work with an immigration lawyer, and apply for citizenship if you do have a green card.

A bill under consideration in the Georgia legislature  will take state funding and state-controlled federal funding from local governments that fail to verify the immigration status of applicants for welfare benefits or employment.

Georgia passed a law two years ago that requires local governments to use the federal government’s E-Verify program to screen job applicants, but to date only a dozen or so municipalities and agencies statewide  have signed up for the program.

Georgia Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers told Mary Lou Pickel of the Atlanta Journal Contitution that the measure toughens the state’s stance on illegal immigration and is an effort to spur local governments to take it seriously.

Democrats in the state senate say that the measure sends a hostile message to Georgia’s international community, although the measure passed the body by a vote of 37 to 9.