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and numerous barriers to residency in place for international students to stay after graduation, America's outdated immigration policy could allow other countries to out-compete us by attracting and keeping the best and brightest there and not here.
Compliance at the Core: How the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program is Overseen and Enforced
Immigration remains at the center of public debate. In recent months, the government has made changes to both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa programs—from social media vetting to raising H-1B eligibility standards and strengthening monitoring requirements. Though these initiatives vary in scope and target, one underlying theme is clear: compliance. Read More
$100,000 H-1B Fee Causes Chaos, Likely Unaffordable for Many Companies
On Friday evening, September 19, 2025, a presidential proclamation panicked many U.S. businesses and H-1B workers who were outside the United States. As written, the proclamation prohibited the entry of noncitizens to the United States in H-1B status, after 12:01 am Eastern Time on September 21, 2025 (the deadline)… Read More
Trump’s $100,000 Fee for H-1B Visas: What You Need to Know
President Donald Trump announced that his administration will impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions. The new fee went into effect as of September 21, 2025, and will greatly impact employers’ ability to secure the highly educated foreign workers who come to the United States on… Read More
Nearly Half of Fortune 500 Companies in 2025 Founded by Immigrants or Their Children
WASHINGTON, DC, August 21, 2025 — A new analysis of the 2025 Fortune 500 list reveals that 46.2 percent of America’s largest companies (231 out of 500) were founded by immigrants or their children. These companies generated a staggering $8.6 trillion in revenue in fiscal year 2024 and employed… Read More
New Report Reveals Devastating Impact of Trump’s Expanded Travel Ban
$715 Million in Taxes, $2.5 Billion in Spending Power at Risk WASHINGTON, DC, August 6 — A new report released today by the American Immigration Council details the sweeping economic and humanitarian toll of the Trump administration’s June 2025 travel ban, which restricts immigration from 19… Read More
Eugenie Kirenga
In 2005, Eugenie Kirenga traveled with her one-year-old son from Rwanda to the United States to visit her two sisters who were attending school in Pittsburgh, PA. But as her return date approached, news broke that Rwandan soldiers, who had left the country during the genocide, were returning to… Read More
New Report Shows Immigrants in Southwest Kansas Paid Over $192 Million in Taxes and Held More than $595 Million in Spending Power in 2019
DODGE CITY, KS – A new report, New Americans in Southwest Kansas and Ford County, released today by New American Economy—now the American Immigration Council—in partnership with Dodge City and Catholic Charities of Southwest Kansas, underscores the crucial role… Read More
Lao Refugee Becomes Engaged Community Leader in Minneapolis
Sunny ChanthanouvongExecutive Director of the Lao Assistance Center When Sunny Chanthanouvong arrived in the U.S. with his family as a Lao refugee, little did he know he would soon be among 13,000+ rebuilding their lives in Minnesota, a state as different as one might imagine from Southeast Asia. Read More
Indian Researcher Starts Non-profit to Serve South Asian Community in Minneapolis
Raj ChaudharyCEO, SEWA-AIFW When Raj Chaudhary moved to Minneapolis in 1968 to become a cancer researcher at the University of Minnesota, she felt like a pioneer. At that time, the Twin Cities’ Indian community was small. And as it grew, newcomers would frequently tap earlier arrivals like Chaudhary and her… Read More
Somalian Refugee Launches Interpretation Company in Minneapolis
Khadija AliCEO, Global Language Connections Former child refugee Khadija Ali is a natural advocate. “I believe everyone has a voice,” she says. “And I didn’t want a language barrier to be a deterrent for anyone’s well-being, which is what happened to my family members.” Ali came to… 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.
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
