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and numerous barriers to residency in place for international students to stay after graduation, America's outdated immigration policy could allow other countries to out-compete us by attracting and keeping the best and brightest there and not here.
Argentinian Immigrant Credits Boston with Enabling Business Success
Jonathan Thon, an Argentine native, first came to the Boston area in 2008 to complete a Harvard Medical School postdoc, and stayed on to become an Assistant Professor there. He knew that platelets, the cells that promote clotting, had enormous commercial and medical potential, and so in 2014, Thon… Read More
![Houston Chronicle: Press 1 for English? These days, biliteracy deserves not just tolerance, but academic rewards [Editorial]](https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/wp-content/themes/aic-synergy/static/images/default-thumb.jpg)
Houston Chronicle: Press 1 for English? These days, biliteracy deserves not just tolerance, but academic rewards [Editorial]
“English! English! Go back to Mexico. You’re in America!” Not so long ago, that response, described in an ethnography by University of Texas professor Angela Valenzuela, is what Texas schoolchildren could expect for speaking Spanish in the hallways. Punishments and reprimands were common experience for students whose open use of… Read More
New American Economy Statement on Failed Immigration Legislation in the House of Representatives
NEW YORK – “Today proves it’ll take votes from both sides of the aisle for this Congress to get to yes on an immigration deal,” said John Feinblatt, President of New American Economy. “The right step for the House now is a successful discharge petition that advances a bipartisan solution… Read More
Michigan Graduates First Class of Seal of Biliteracy Recipients as Top State Employers Seek Bilingual Talent
LANSING, MI – Today, New American Economy (NAE) joins Michigan business leaders and educators to congratulate the state’s first class of Seal of Biliteracy recipients. Created by the Department of Education last year, the Seal of Biliteracy formally recognizes high school graduates who are proficient in more than one… Read More
Arkansas Catholic: Immigrants contribute more than $2 billion to LR area
Immigrants make the city of Little Rock rich beyond just cultural diversity. Their presence creates $2 billion for the state. According to recently released research conducted by the New American Economy along with the Little Rock Regional Chamber and the City of Little Rock, foreign-born residents of the metro Little… Read More
Iowa Governor Signs Seal of Biliteracy Legislation to Address Increased Demand for Bilingual Talent
Des Moines, Iowa – Today, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 475 into law, which contains a Seal of Biliteracy program to recognize high school graduates with proficiency in a second language other than English. The important legislation highlights the need to leverage language skills as Iowa is faced with… Read More
The News-Gazette: Champaign Community Coalition gets first look at report on immigrant population
At Wednesday’s immigration-focused meeting of the city’s Community Coalition, attendees were encouraged to learn more about Champaign County’s 1-in-10 foreign-born residents. A preview of a report on the county’s immigrant population was presented at the meeting. The full report, due out in May, was created by the University YMCA’s New… Read More
Multilingual Immigrant Uses Her Skills to Advise Corpus Christi Business Community
Growing up under a dictatorial regime in Panama, Lorena Parada-Valdes longed to live in a democratic country. In 1979, she had her chance. That year, she was one of just four Panamanian college students to receive a merit-based scholarship to study in the United States. After graduating from Bates… Read More
Pioneering Latina Aviator Tells the Stories of Other Latinos
A child of Mexican immigrants, Graciela Tiscareño-Sato grew up in small, north Colorado towns dominated by meatpacking plants. Her mother worked on the assembly line, her father in high-end men’s clothing stores as a tailor. Together they raised five children. It was stable, honest work, says Tiscareño-Sato, but she aspired… Read More
Dallas-Based Artist and Immigrant Found Success Thanks to Her Parent’s Drive for a Better Life
As one of six children in her family in Taipei, Taiwan, Jin-Ya Huang grew up watching her parents struggle to overcome poverty. Her mother scraped together money by cooking and sewing, and her father worked and lived at a distant cement factory, where he was a mechanical engineer. When he lost his job, money… 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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