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and numerous barriers to residency in place for international students to stay after graduation, America's outdated immigration policy could allow other countries to out-compete us by attracting and keeping the best and brightest there and not here.
Smithsonian Second Opinion: What Does It Mean To Be An American Today?
One of the defining metaphors of the United States has been that our country is a “melting pot” of immigrants from around the globe. But this powerful ideal also coexists alongside an anti-immigration sentiment that has persisted throughout our nation’s history. Many new populations have come to America over the… Read More
Florida Dreamer: Americans Do Not Understand How Complicated Immigration Process Is
In 2000, Juan Escalante’s parents fled the violence of their native Venezuela. His mother and father, owners of a small print shop, were subject to targeted carjackings and death threats. Finally, enough was enough. They wanted safety for their three young children. So, in search of a better life, they… Read More
New York Times: If You Want to MAGA, Save DACA
What is it, really, that makes a country great? Surely not size. Russia has 56 times the territory and more than twice the population of Italy. Yet Italy’s economy, troubled as it is, is 44 percent larger than Russia’s. Read More
Banker Overseeing Billions While Awaiting Citizenship Says Process Needs Repair
Arindam Majumdar has an engineering degree from India, an MBA in corporate finance and investments from the University of Iowa, and is pursuing a graduate degree in banking from the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking and a Wharton Leadership Diploma from the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked at… Read More
Iraqi Military Interpreter Yearns to Serve U.S. Through Teaching
Safwat Al Baali is grateful for his housekeeping job at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, on the glittery Las Vegas strip. After scraping by for seven months upon receiving political asylum, he is thrilled to be averaging $17.25 an hour with tips. “My life is so good now,” he says. Al Baali… Read More
Russian Immigrant Builds a School for Newcomers to Strengthen America
Andrey Dolbinin came to the United States from Russia as a college student in 1997. Now he is helping new arrivals adapt, while still maintaining ties to their culture. In 2003, he founded a private bilingual school called Slavic Christian Academy. “I saw the youngest students getting discouraged when they… Read More
Washington Post: Trump says the proposed immigration bill will raise wages for Americans. It won’t.
President Trump announced Wednesday in a joint statement with Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) that he would like to dramatically slash legal — not illegal — immigration. Speaking in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Trump endorsed the senators’ proposed Raise Act, promising it will raise wages… Read More
Statement on Senator Tom Cotton and Senator David Perdue’s RAISE Act
Following the introduction of the RAISE Act, which aims to cut legal immigration to the United States by 50 percent, New American Economy President John Feinblatt issued the following statement: “Slashing legal immigration in half would only hinder growth and result in fewer jobs for Americans,” said John Feinblatt, President… 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
