International Students
Although they account for just five percent of all students in U.S. colleges and universities, international students play an important role in our economy. They gravitate towards the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, producing a large number of patents and gaining skills that help our employers innovate and compete. They spend tens of billions of dollars as consumers, supporting local businesses. And the companies they go on to found—such as Google, Yahoo!, and Trulia—employ hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans.
Quantifying the Impact of the Trump Administration on Immigration
Table of Contents: Naturalizations Permanent Residency H-1Bs International Students DACA Temporary Status Protected Given the upheaval of the past year since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been difficult to take full stock of the Trump Administration’s impact on immigration in… Read More
As Georgia Considers Expanding In-State Tuition, New Research Shows Legislation for Dreamers Could Lead to $3.4 million in Additional Tax Revenue for Georgia
New data shows significant economic benefits for the state, including $27.6 Million More in Immigrants’ Spending Power Every Year Atlanta, Georgia – Today New American Economy (NAE), a bipartisan immigration research and advocacy organization, released a new study showing how extending in-state tuition to all residents, regardless of immigration… Read More
New Research Shows Banning In-State Tuition for Dreamers Could Cause Missouri to Miss Out on Millions in Additional Tax Revenue and Spending Power Every Year
As the Missouri Legislature considers prohibiting access to in-state tuition for Missouri Dreamers, new data shows there are significant economic benefits the state would bypass. Jefferson City, MO – Today New American Economy (NAE), a bipartisan immigration research and advocacy organization, released a new study showing how offering in-state… Read More
From Alexandria, Egypt to Charlotte, NC: An Immigrant’s Support for Other International Students Pays Off
Tarek Elshayeb is from Alexandria, Egypt, and came to the United States to attend graduate school at Clemson University in South Carolina. “I was looking for a better education, better work opportunities, a better life in general,” he says. While studying for his master’s degree in human resources, he obtained… Read More
Muncie Star Press Opinion: My best friend is a Dreamer and a BSU grad. Congress, let her stay
Our freshman year at Ball State University, my best friend and college roommate Erika Espinoza revealed a closely guarded secret. She was an undocumented immigrant. Fleeing poverty, her parents brought her from a rural town outside of Mexico City to Indiana when she was 9. Fortunately, in 2012, during her… Read More
Cambodian Immigrant Turns Street Lessons in English into Full-Time Position at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, MA
Tooch Van was the youngest of 10 children, a baby when the Khmer Rouge took his family away. His parents must have hid him, he says; a neighbor later heard his cries, “A miracle.” In Cambodia between 1975 and 1979, when the Khmer Rouge set out to build… Read More
Escaping Cambodia as a Child, Lowell Resident Uses Business Expertise to Help His Community
Rasy An was about 9 when the Khmer Rouge sent him to a work camp. “I still have scars on my hand,” he says. “I told my daughter: This is something I had to do to survive, because if you couldn’t work they didn’t keep you alive.”… Read More
Cincinnati Enquirer Opinion: Bipartisan immigration bill could help solve health care crisis
I’m a physician who specializes in treating older patients for conditions and illnesses associated with aging. As a so-called “geriatrician,” I run a non-stop practice. I work full-time five days a week, in addition to overnight and weekend call coverage. Even so, new patients must wait three months to get an… Read More
New Report Shows Immigrants in Northern Kentucky Contributed Over $116 Million in Taxes
Fort Mitchell, KY – Immigrant households in Northern Kentucky earned nearly $430 million and paid over $116 million in taxes in 2017, according to new research by New American Economy (NAE) in partnership with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of… Read More
Press-Republican In My Opinion: Let international students stay
On Saturday, as I watched my friends and classmates walk across the stage to accept their hard-earned diplomas at SUNY Plattsburgh’s commencement ceremony, I couldn’t help but imagine myself dressed in the same cap and gown next year. That’s when I’m expected to graduate with my master’s degree in mental… Read More
Fueling the Economy
About 18.5 million foreign-born students study at American colleges and universities. In addition to their academic and cultural contributions, they support the economies of college communities through tuition payments and spending on housing, books, and other day-to-day expenses.1
Sources:
1 “NAFSA International Student Economic Value Tool | NAFSA,” accessed June 28, 2016. Available online.
Innovating for the Future
International STEM students and graduates are behind some of America’s most impressive innovations, from artificial skin to moldable metal. Studies show that immigrants with an advanced degree are three times more likely than U.S.-born graduate degree holders to file a patent.2 When universities increase their share of international students, they often receive more patents—boosting revenue and creating more opportunities for all students.
Sources:
2 Jennifer Hunt and Marjolaine Gauthier-Loiselle, “How Much Does Immigration Boost Innovation?,” NBER Working Paper, (September 2008). Available online.
3 Chellaraj, Gnanaraj, Keith E. Maskus, and Aaditya Mattoo. 2005. “The Contribution of Skilled Immigration and International Graduate Students to US Innovation.” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper (3588). Retrieved November 10, 2014. Available online.
Share of Patents Awarded to Research Institutions with at Least One Foreign-Born Inventor, 2011
From Graduates to Entrepreneurs
The inventions of foreign-born students often do more than just earn patents. They spawn start-ups and new divisions of companies that create jobs for American workers. Foreign-born students at American schools founded companies like Sun Microsystems (now a part of Oracle), Google, and Yahoo!.
Sources:
4 Edward B. Roberts, Fiona Murray, and J. Daniel Kim, “Entrepreneurship and Innovation at MIT: Continuing Global Growth and Impact” (MIT Innovation Initiative, December 2015). Available online.
5 Vivek Wadhwa et al., “America’s New Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Part I,” SSRN Scholarly Paper (Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network, 2007). Available online.
Boosting State Economies
In 2015, the large number of international students in both New York and California generated close to $4 billion in revenue for each state. In eight states, foreign-born students generated revenues in excess of $1 billion—supporting tens of thousands of jobs.
States where International Students Make the Largest Economic Impact
Educating the Next Generation
Foreign-born professionals play a large role in educating American students. In 22 states, the occupation “postsecondary teacher” ranks among the top 10 jobs in which immigrants make up the largest share of workers. In six of those states, that role ranks among the top three jobs most heavily reliant on immigrants.
States with the Highest Share of Immigrant Postsecondary Teachers, 2014
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
