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and numerous barriers to residency in place for international students to stay after graduation, America's outdated immigration policy could allow other countries to out-compete us by attracting and keeping the best and brightest there and not here.
CEO of Mavin Global says Immigration System Makes U.S. Firms Less Competitive
Sai Naik’s father came to America from Mumbai in the 1960s with little more than the few cents in his pocket and an abiding love of Elvis Presley. Over the decades that followed, he earned a PhD in materials engineering, held a series of well-paid jobs, and went on to… Read More
Immigration System is Holding Back Social Enterprise
In 2007, Catalina Rojas and her husband started the Peace and Collaborative Development Network (PCDN), a social enterprise that connects more than 35,500 professionals, organizations, and students with the resources they need to scale social change. With help from their two part-time employees, their goal for this year is to… Read More
A Chinese-American Executive Helps Chinese Companies Invest in Michigan Workers
Chinese companies are expected to invest $30 billion in the United States this year — and as president of the Detroit Chinese Business Association, Jerry Xu is determined to ensure that as many of those dollars as possible come to Michigan. The Wolverine State already… Read More
Lorain County Commissioner: Immigrants Boost Economic Growth
Over his eight-year tenure as a state representative for Ohio’s 55th district, current Lorain County Commissioner Matt Lundy saw how the negative national discourse on immigration reform so easily trickled down to the local level. “Many elected officials have turned something unique and positive – opportunity and improvement… Read More
In Immigrants, Michigan’s Business Community Sees a Way to Grow the Economy, Says Entrepreneur
When Bing Goei and his parents came to western Michigan in 1960, they were among the first Indonesians to arrive in the region, and their arrival made the front page of the local newspaper. “It must have been a slow news day,” Goei laughs. These days, it’s hardly big news… Read More
How An Indian Immigrant Is Fundamentally Transforming Alabama’s Auto Industry
After close to four decades in the auto industry, including a position running global research for Mercedes-Benz in Germany, Indian immigrant Bharat Balasubramanian, moved to Alabama. Today, he is executive director of the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies at the University of Alabama, an inter-disciplinary research center dedicated to the… Read More
International Students Are U.S. Business’ Best Hope For Growth
This week, as anti-immigrant rhetoric continues to permeate the national debate, hundreds of thousands of international students will say goodbye to the United States to return, degrees in hand, to their home countries. Far from being a drain on the American economy or threat to U.S. jobs, these talented graduates—disproportionately… Read More
“When You’re Talking about Workforce Strategies, You Have to Talk About Immigrants”
Denise Reid understands how crucial immigrants are to growing a community’s workforce and economy. As executive director of Mosaic & Workforce at Tulsa Regional Chamber in Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District Chamber, an organization with over 3,000 members and an MSA of roughly one million, it is her job to develop… Read More
Immigrant Entrepreneur Says Immigration Reform Will Keep U.S. Businesses Competitive
Fernando Gaxiola is a San Diego-based Mexican wine importer and travel entrepreneur working hard to change Americans’ cultural impressions of Mexico. Several times a month, his company Baja Wine + Food offers trips to the Valle de Guadalupe about an hour south of the California border to explore the region’s… Read More
Administrator at Public University Sees Firsthand the Limited Options Available to International Students After Graduation
Richard Porter spends his days with some of the brightest, most ambitious minds in the nation. As an administrator over International Student and Scholar Service offices at several large public universities over the past Porter works to help international scholars excel in their studies and, upon graduation, look for work. 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.
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
