Immigration Policy in the Early Republic

The title says it all. Was there an immigration Policy in the Early Republic? What did it consist of?

As an aside, If it did not exist what would it take to make one and enforce it? Is it possible or the US of the early 1800s just to big? In a TL were slavery is resolved in the Early 1800s, would some form of Indentured Service be used to offset the envitable labor shortage? Is it possible to use it to offset the labor shortage? Would indentured service be linked to citizernship in this situation?

author's note: I started a thread about this a few days ago, but I got a bunch of talk about Slavery and why it beat out Indentured Service. In this thread I want to know if Indentured Service is usable in thsi context. Slavery is gone and dead.
 
Indentured servitude is fundamentally flawed by the 1800's, first due to the ease with which people can just walk off, after all they don't stick out like black people. Second as economic conditions improve in Western Europe the desire to be a serf in the America's decline. Third as transport costs decline people were better able to make the crossing off their own bat.
However to ansewer you OP "In the early years of the United States, immigration was fewer than 8,000 people a year... After 1820, immigration gradually increased".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Immigration_to_the_United_States#Immigration_1790_to_1849

Most importantly prior to 1840 there was a minimal Catholic presentation and the was significant opposition to this increasing.
 
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