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.
Founder of Aspiring Americans Wants to Help Other Undocumented Students Excel
It took Akash Patel 22 years to become a U.S. citizen. That’s how long it takes, he says, when you follow proper protocol—the current immigration system is that broken. “My parents, sister, and I came to the U.S. from London on visitor visas in 1993 and immediately applied for green… Read More
The U.S. Could Be Stonger Economically If It Utilized Immigrant Potential, Says Purdue University Professor
After completing an M.A. in mathematics in her native Germany, Brigitte Waldorf came to America in 1985, for a PhD program in geography at the University of Illinois. Like many foreign-born academics, she stayed on after graduating, working as a regional scientist for top-flight institutions including Princeton University and the… Read More
Canadian Software Engineer Says U.S. Turns Away the Very Tech Talent it Needs
Helen Fu fell in the love with the Bay Area tech world when she participated in summer internships at Facebook and Palantir. When Palantir offered her a job after college, Fu, a Canadian student, entered the visa lottery that allows skilled workers to fill jobs in specialty occupations. She did… Read More
Immigration Policy Has a Real Impact on Employers’ Bottom Lines in Michigan Says Immigration Lawyer
Immigration lawyer Susan Im runs a respected Grand Rapids firm that serves employers ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 firms, and has three employees and more than $500,000 in annual revenues. Im — who is a past chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)’s Michigan chapter, serves on… Read More
This Syrian-Born Doctor is Helping to Alleviate Nevada’s Physician Shortage
It took the University of Nevada School of Medicine in Las Vegas three years to fill a job opening for a pediatric gastroenterologist. This is hardly a surprise given the nationwide shortage of physicians with a pediatric subspecialty, a shortage that means families often have to wait months… Read More
Purdue Professor Says Our Economy Suffers When Talented International STEM Grads Are Forced to Leave
Professor Gerhard Klimeck is a master of the Conte, a huge supercomputer based in Indiana. Rippling with copper wire, Conte is capable of running the sort of design simulations that are responsible for our smaller and sleeker iPhones. Klimeck works in the cutting-edge field of nanotechnology, but he grew… Read More
Visa Process Too Daunting for U.S. Firms, Says Award-Winning Entrepreneur
The story of Radhika Reddy is a classic immigrant rags-to-riches tale. In 1989, Reddy left a low-paying banking job in India to come to Cleveland, Ohio, to earn a master’s degree in business administration at Case Western Reserve University. When she received permanent residency status six years later, she started… Read More
This Manufacturing Giant Didn’t Leave, But it Needs More Immigrant STEM Workers to Stay in the Country and Succeed
Jennifer Sharp has an unusual title for an engineering company: Immigration Specialist. Her company, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), designs and manufacturers products that protect power grids around the world. It is one of the largest employers in southeast Washington state, with 2,600 employees at its Pullman headquarters and 4,500 employees… Read More
Reform Allowing Immigrants To Study and Work Would Boost Community Output, Says Mexican-American Volunteer
After Angelica Velasquez’s father came to the United States from Mexico at age 20, he was deported several times. But he returned, married, and started a construction business. “He’s a contributor. Plus, they raised me and my five siblings, and we’re all great contributors,” says Velasquez, 41, the human resources… 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
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.
