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.
Son of Migrant Workers Knows When Kids Learn They Contribute
Tony Diaz is the founder of Nuestra Palabra, a Houston-based nonprofit that aims to promote Latino literature and literacy. Since its launch in 1988, Diaz and his team have worked to educate, cultivate, and promote talent within the Latino community. It’s part of a greater belief that American culture must… Read More
Duke University Student and DACA Recipient Hopes for More Permanent Solution for America’s Undocumented Students
Axel grew up in North Carolina and considers Durham his hometown—but when he won a full-ride scholarship to Duke University, he was classified as an international student. The reason? Ramos is an undocumented immigrant. And so he attended orientation alongside students—including some from Honduras, his country of birth—who had never… Read More
A Former Migrant Worker Sends Young Immigrants to the Ivy League
Martin Mares has achieved something single-handedly that virtually no other person in the United States has done. He’s personally helped over 280 teenagers from Parlier, Calif. and the surrounding communities, many of them ESL students from poor immigrant families, earn acceptance into the Ivy Leagues. Over a 1,500 more of… Read More
U.S. Gains When Dreamers Have Access to Higher Education, Says Tennessee Professor
Laura Blackwell Clark is a self-described “native-born, old, Southern, white woman” who became interested in immigration reform after taking up salsa dancing. “On a lark, my daughter asked me to go and I said yes,” Clark says, the joy of the moment returning to her voice. “That experience opened my… Read More
Why Does U.S. Policy Reject Immigrant Talent? ‘Why Are We Economically Restricting Ourselves?’ American Lawyer Asks
Idaho native Richard L. Ruth, the managing principal of Ruth Law, became an immigration attorney after many years in labor law. Today, he has 20 years of experience under his belt. “I find the practice of immigration law extremely rewarding,” he says. “With litigation, I won a lot of cases,… Read More
Auburn English Language Educator Sees Immigration Reform as a Way to Help Students Succeed
As an assistant professor of ESOL Education at Auburn University, Jamie Harrison can attest to the growing demand for teachers who specialize in educating young English language learners. One ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher whom Harrison knows travels to 13 different schools every week, so that students… Read More
Educator Says that Without Immigration Reform Kentucky Schools Can’t Produce Enough Technical Workers
Dr. Ty Handy has been an educator for more than 16 years, during which time he’s worked with many immigrants and international students. As current president of Jefferson Community and Technical College in Louisville, located in Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District, he oversees an annual operating budget of almost $50 million. Read More
Head of University of Louisiana Computer Science Department: ‘Our Strength is in Our Diversity’
Magdy Bayoumi, director of the Center for Advanced Computer Studies and head of the Computer Science department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt—but he always knew he’d to move to America one day. “Since I was in high school, my plan was… Read More
Stanford Business School Grad Hopes Reform Will Allow Him to Keep Company in Silicon Valley
Russian-born immigrant, recent Stanford Graduate School of Business graduate, and entrepreneur Misha Esipov, 28, is “on a mission to improve immigrant lending around the world” and “build a cross-border credit bureau to connect U.S. lenders to international data.” His company, Nova Credit Inc., is developing an international credit passport system… Read More
U.S. Economy Can’t Win Without Guest Workers, Says Arizona Business Consultant
Republican Jaime Molera, founding partner of Phoenix consultancy Molera Alvarez, says a strong business climate depends on immigration reform. “When Arizona was going through a number of challenging policy issues, like the infamous and controversial Senate Bill 1070” — a law requiring police to determine the immigration status of… 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
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