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observed between Asian ethnic groups. The current Asian American
population comes from more than twenty countries in the
Asia-Pacific region. According to the Census 2000 data, the three
largest groups of ethnic Asian Americans are of Chinese, Filipino,
and Asian Indian ancestry (Xie & Goyette, 2004). The other
populations of ethnic groups come from Korea, Japan, Vietnam,
and several other South Asian countries, such as Bangladesh,
Cambodia, Lao, the Hmong, and Thailand. Such cultural diversity
only emerged after US immigration reform in the 1960s. Over the
past few decades, the rapid growth of migration from the Far East
has resulted in the dominance of first-generation immigrants from
various Asian countries (Zhou & Xiong, 2005). Hence, the
socioeconomic status of immigrants in their native countries and
the modes of entry become important determinants of Asian
Americans’ adjustments and life chances in the United States.
Unlike Hispanic immigrants who are largely uneducated and
low-skilled, Asian American immigrants are more diverse in
socioeconomic makeup that reveals stark regional variations. This
study will separate the Asian American population into three
sub-groups: East Asians, Filipinos, and South Asians. The rationale
for such a categorization is largely because Chinese, Filipinos, and
Asian Indians are the three largest ethnic groups among all Asian
Americans, based on the Census 2000 report (Barnes & Bennett,
2002). Generally speaking, immigrants from East Asian countries
are much better-educated and are over-represented in white-collar,
professional occupations, whereas immigrants from South Asia tend
to have more limited human capital at their disposal. They tend to
complete few years of education and have lower family income
than their East Asian counterparts (Xie & Goyette, 2004).
Differential motivations for departing from their homeland have
been a major explanation for their distinct socioeconomic profiles.
The post-1970 immigrants from East Asia have selectively come to
the U.S. in search of advanced post-graduate studies or further
professional development. In contrast, immigrants from South Asia