26 January 2005	Wednesday	15 Zilhaj 1425

NEW YORK, Jan 25: Record numbers of foreigners are still settling in New York, with Bangladeshis, Mexicans and Pakistanis the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the famously diverse city, a report said on Monday.

Immigrants were not deterred by the Sept 11, 2001, attacks and the economic downturn that followed, the 265-page City Planning Department report said. Mexican immigration quadrupled to more than 120,000 between 1990 and 2000. Immigrants from Bangladesh, who numbered 8,695 in 1990, jumped to 42,865 in 2000, and the Pakistani population grew to 39,165 from 14,911.

Overall, New York saw a net gain of 339,000 immigrants from April 2000 to July 2003, pushing the city's foreign-born population to a record 3.2 million. Topping the list of New York's largest foreign-born populations was the Dominican Republic at 369,186, followed by China (261,551), Jamaica (178,922) and Guyana (130,647).

"Immigrants keep coming here. The reason they keep coming here is opportunity," said Joseph Salvo, who co-authored the report. New York officials pointed to the increases as critical to the vitality of the city. Foreign-born residents make up 36 per cent of the city's 8.1 million people. -Agencies