American visa holders, immigrants made New York great: Mayor

"Immigrants are why New York City became America's economic engine," said Bloomberg in a recent press conference.”

"The next time you walk or drive over the Brooklyn Bridge, remember that it was designed by an immigrant engineer. The next time you ride the subway, or pass the Empire State Building or the Rockefeller Center, remember they were all built by immigrant hands," he said.

Bloomberg hopes to win votes in his campaign for re-election from within the New York immigrant communities, although certainly over the last eight years he has been a strong supporter for American immigrants.

"Economically, culturally and socially, we need more immigrants, not less," said Bloomberg.

American visa holders and immigrants "have always been and will always be welcome here and the reason is simple: what's good for the city's immigrants is good for the city," he said.

The American Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in American visa and immigration services.