1820 – The first immigrate from India arrives in the United States.
End of the 1800s – About 2,000 Asian Indians settled on the west coast by this time in search of economic opportunities. Most of them worked in agriculture and construction. Some came as merchants and traders.
1907 – Asian Indians along with other immigrant groups worked on building the Western Pacific Railway in California.
1910-1920 – Agricultural work in California became more abundant and better paying. Many Asian Indians went to the fields and orchards for work.
1913 – The California Alien Land law denied land to any person who was not a citizen. At this time, many, if not most, Indians were being denied citizenship. Fortunately, by this time many of these Indian families had children born in the United States so they transferred title to the oldest child.
During this time there were a number of Indian students at universities who were migrating into the country. A lot of these students were organizing groups for Indian freedom from British domination. The United States government, due to pressure from Britian, deported some of these students.
1917 and 1923 – Specific legislation was introduced that tried to restrict or deny residence and citizenship rights to Indians and other Asians. Some were defeated and others were adopted. One main point that was adopted was the requirement that immigrants pass a literacy test to be able to apply for citizenship, which disqualified many Indians.
1946 – Luce-Celler Act is passed on July 2. It gives Filipinos and Asian Indians the right to become naturalized citizens. The quota was set at 100 people per year.
1965 – A change in United States immigration law that lifted the quotas and restrictions allowed large numbers of Asians to come to America. During the next ten years, more than 10,000 professionals and their families came to the United States.
Today – Asian Indians enjoy much success in current society. They have they best education level of any group in the United States today and the Indian’s median family income is the highest in the country. Most immigrants today are well-educated and qualified professionals.