Immigration: When, Why, and Where?....

1763
The first record of permanent Filipino immigration is from 1763. Filipinos serving as sailors on Spanish vessels jumped ship in the Gulf of Mexico to escape the cruelty of their Spanish masters. Many of these Filipinos settled in the marshes of Louisiana. They were known as the, “Louisiana Community.” (The Office of Multicultural Student Services University of Hawaii, 2001)

1906-1934
The next large wave of immigration occurred between 1906 to 1934. Af the end of the Spanish-American War (1989), America took control over the Philippines. A public school system that was similar to American public schools was established in the Philippines. The goal set by America for the Philippines was to create self-governing, highly qualified and educated people who embodied American ideals. Well educated Filipinos, who became known as pensionados, were then granted permission to migrate to the states to attend universities. This group primarily settled in California for their education, but most returned to permanently settle back in the Philippines. (Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2010)
During this same time a lower class group of Filipinos migrated to The United States as labor supply for Hawaii plantations. This group took on very low paying farm jobs. Their long term intention was to make enough money to go back to the Philippines and start a better life for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, their incomes were so small that they had no choice but to make the United States their permanent home. (The Office of Multicultural Student Services University of Hawaii, 2001)

1965
The primary influx of Filipino immigration occurred after the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965. With the passage of this act, the admittance laws for immigrants were greatly changed. Now, Filipino workers who had been made U.S. citizens were given the right to sponsor family members under much broader conditions. Between the passing of the Immigration Act of 1965 and present day approximately 1, 500,000 Filipino immigrants have arrived in America. The majority of these Filipinos migrated to California, Hawaii, New York, Texas, and Illinois. (David, n.d.)

References:

 Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. (2010). Philippines Profile, History. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2794.htm#history

 The Office of Multicultural Student Services University of Hawaii. (2001). The Philippines History Site. 
            Retrieved from http://opmanong.ssc.hawaii.edu/filipino/filmig.html

 David, C. (n.d.). Post 1965 Filipino Immigration. Retrieved from http://smccd.net/accounts/skylib/oralhist/David/david.html