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and numerous barriers to residency in place for international students to stay after graduation, America's outdated immigration policy could allow other countries to out-compete us by attracting and keeping the best and brightest there and not here.
Immigration laws should strengthen US, not its rivals
Yesterday marked the close of the five-day filing period when U.S. companies could apply for H-1B visas to bring high-skilled workers from around the world to work here next year. The annual cap was exceeded in those few days, and a lottery will be held to determine which workers… Read More
Getting a Visa Took Longer Than Building Instagram, Says Immigrant Co-Founder
Instagram almost didn’t happen, and the U.S.’s convoluted immigration system would have been to blame. Before Mike Krieger created the wildly popular photo-sharing app with business partner Kevin Systrom, he was living in Silicon Valley on a temporary work visa. If not for some lucky breaks navigating the country’s immigration process,… Read More
Michigan’s global economy
Politicians are apt to hold press conferences for projects that announce even a few hundred jobs. Can you imagine the headline for a government action that produced 15,000 jobs that paid salaries ranging from $60,000 to even $100,000? Research from the Partnership for a New American Economy—a collection of forward-thinking… Read More
HIGH-SKILLED IMMIGRANTS IN CALIFORNIA
Learn more about the need for high-skilled immigration reform at www.LetPJStay.com CALIFORNIA FACES A LARGE STEM SHORTAGE There are more STEM job openings than unemployed STEM workers: From 2009 to 2011, 1.4 STEM job openings were posted online in California for every 1 unemployed STEM worker in the… Read More
German Immigrant Invents Cutting Edge Genetic Technology – and Still Faces U.S. Immigration Issues
Jonas Korlach, a United States-based biochemist, says that as a young man, he never would’ve predicted the path his life would take in adulthood. Growing up in East Germany, he was just 16 years old when the Berlin Wall fell, opening up a whole new universe just 15 minutes from… Read More
Statement on U.S. Government Exhausting Supply of H-1B Visas in Less Than a Week
CONTACT Ryan Williams, Partnership for a New American Economy, [email protected] Following the announcement by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that they reached the congressionally mandated H-1B cap for 2016, Partnership for a New American Economy Chairman John Feinblatt issued the following statement:… Read More
U.S. Companies Say H-1B Hires Are “Critical” to Success
CHICAGO, IL–(Marketwired – Apr 7, 2015) – Nothing highlights the skills gap more than the race to submit H-1B visa applications. In a survey of nearly 100 U.S. companies that seek skilled workers and collectively employ more than 116,000, 50 percent of the companies consider hiring foreign nationals for U.S. Read More
Conservatives should champion immigration reform
Florida has long been a gateway for new residents entering our nation. By 2010, one in five Florida residents was born outside the United States. The dynamics of registered voters have shifted to reflect the influx of immigrants who have moved here in the last decade. The Partnership for a… Read More
Immigration ceiling hit in one week
The U.S. government will begin doling out high-skilled worker visas through a lottery system after applications exceeded the cap a week after the enrollment period began. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Tuesday that the 65,000 cap on new applications for skilled visas had already been hit for the… Read More
America Has a Foreign Worker Problem
Each year, the first week of April is a stressful one for thousands of would-be employees in America. Often, these workers have graduated from top-tier colleges and had the chops to get noticed by businesses all across the United States. They accepted job offers and made plans to start their… 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.
