How did the Immigration Act of 1965 change U.S. immigration policies?

The Immigration Act of 1965 is significant because it abolished the national origins quota system that had been established in the 1920s. This quota system heavily favored immigration from northern and western Europe while severely limiting immigrants from other regions, particularly Asia and Africa. By eliminating these discriminatory quotas, the 1965 Act aimed to create a more equitable immigration process that would allow individuals from a wider variety of countries to immigrate to the United States based on family reunification and skills rather than their country of origin.

Under the revised system, the Act prioritized reunification of families and also established a preference system for skilled workers, which led to a significant increase in immigration from non-European countries. This change not only diversified the immigrant population but also reflected the changing social attitudes toward race and ethnicity in the United States during the civil rights era.

While the other choices mentioned various changes to immigration policies, they do not accurately reflect the most notable impact of the Immigration Act of 1965. The act's primary legacy is its removal of the quota system, making this change fundamental in shaping U.S. immigration in the decades that followed.