Global Competitiveness
The United States has long been the destination for the world’s most talented immigrants. Despite the last 50 years of technological advancement, American immigration policy has remained virtually unchanged, putting in danger America's global competitiveness. Yesterday's immigration policy no longer meets today’s economic needs. Only about 14 percent of all U.S. green cards are given for economic reasons, compared to more than 60 percent in Canada and Australia. With no dedicated visa for entrepreneurs and numerous barriers to residency in place for international students to stay after graduation, America's outdated immigration policy could allow other countries to out-compete us by attracting and keeping the best and brightest there and not here.
Louisianan Says it’s the Strangers Who Make His Town Home
Chris Wade cares about the people of Monroe, Louisiana. He was born there, raised there, and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology there, from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He’s also spent a significant portion of his adult life volunteering in and around the city: driving a truck for… Read More
Rwandan’s Successful Kids Are America’s Gain
For Rwandan native Judith Mukaruziga, home is a central part of life. As a real estate agent in State College, Pennsylvania, Mukaruziga takes great satisfaction in helping clients find just the right house. But her greatest sense of meaning comes from building a loving, stable home with her husband and… Read More
University Students Embrace Immigrant Culture — to America’s Benefit
In 15 years, Zoya Khan has taught more than 1,500 university students. “In my classes, I have first-generation students, honors students, single mothers,” she says. “It’s a diverse group, and I take pride in their achievements.” Khan, an associate professor of Spanish at the University of South Alabama, in Mobile,… Read More
Iranian Refugee Fills In-Demand Role in U.S. Workforce
When Iranian refugee Muhsin Kazemipour stepped into his first accounting class at Amarillo College, he knew it was a good fit. “I saw my classmates struggling through the class, and I really enjoyed it. It was like a fun puzzle to fix. After the first semester of those classes, I… Read More
Demand for Bilingual Workers More than Doubled in 5 years, New Report Shows
New York, NY – Today, New American Economy (NAE) released a report on the growing demand for bilingual talent in major industries in the United States. The research looks at online job posting data acquired by Burning Glass Technologies, a leading labor market analytics firm that searches 40,000 job… Read More
Not Lost in Translation: The Growing Importance of Foreign Language Skills in the U.S. Job Market
There is a growing demand for bilingual talent in major industries in the United States. The research looks at online job posting data acquired by Burning Glass Technologies, a leading labor market analytics firm that searches 40,000 job boards daily. The report shows that employers increasingly desire workers who… Read More
Doctor Restores Vision Globally but Needs Skilled Workers in U.S.
Since 1986, Dr. Jash Sharma has run CIMA Life Science, an international company that fulfills a personal mission: Inspired by his father, who went blind at age 62, Dr. Sharma is helping tens of thousands of vision-impaired people to see. The company manufactures intraocular lenses, which replace a patient’s natural… Read More
Bloomberg: Keeping America’s Doors Open
Donald Trump’s latest harsh immigration orders leave little doubt about how he and his administration view outsiders who have come to the U.S. illegally. His views on high-skilled, legal immigrants are more complicated. He’s vowed to punish companies that bend the rules to replace American workers with cheaper foreigners, but… Read More
U.S. Immigration Policy Forces Talented PhDs to Leave the Country, Says Wash U Chancellor
As the chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, for more than two decades, Mark Wrighton has seen countless talented international students graduate from his institution and then be pushed out of the country. “We train our students to become leaders in their fields, only to send them… Read More
Immigration Policies Are Stifling the Growth of this Miami-Based Digital Marketing Firm
EveryMundo, a technology company who creates products and services to drive qualified traffic directly to airlines’ websites, has experienced tremendous growth in the last five years. Despite employing 45 people and partnering with 20 international airlines, U.S. immigration policy continues to frustrate its founders, Seth Cassel and Anton Diego, who employ international employees to assist… Read More
Impending Labor Challenges
The United States is facing demographic challenges that endanger its preeminent economic position in the world. An aging workforce threatens the vitality of the labor force. At the same time, the supply of U.S.-trained engineers is lagging behind nearly all other industrialized economies. At a time when tech-heavy and innovation driven industries are driving economic growth, the United States faces the prospect of being left behind.
Table 1: Share of Population Age 65+, 1996, 2006, 2016 and projected 2030
Table 2: Share of Undergrads Studying Engineering
Prioritizing Economic Needs
Many countries have identified the link between immigration and economic growth. For many, such moves are a matter of necessity–the domestic labor force is not sufficient for an expanding economy, and aging populations and declining fertility rates are creating labor shortages. Despite facing some of the same challenges, U.S. immigration policy has not changed to reflect our economy’s evolving needs.
Table 3: Percentage of All Permanent Residency Visas Given for Economic Reasons*
Need for a Start-Up Visa
Countries around the world, from France, to Chile, to Singapore have created visas aimed at attracting promising entrepreneurs and job creators. Despite concerns about meager job creation and business growth, however, the United States has not taken a similar step, endangering our position in the global race for talent. This situation was made worse in 2017 when the administration took the first steps to kill the International Entrepreneur Rule, a measure that would have allowed entrepreneurs with outside funding to remain in the country for 2.5 years to establish their businesses.
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