Immigration means innovation for US

A study into the contribution of immigrants to the US economy has shown that they are contributing 75 percent of all registered patents.

The Partnership for a New American Economy found that foreign students at the best US research universities were playing important roles in developing new technologies, but were also facing difficulties with visas once their studies are completed.

The value of the students’ innovation to the economy is clear from the areas they are focusing on, with science, technology, engineering and maths seeing the most amount of registered patents associated with the students.

The group, set up by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, also found that the mother countries of the students were encouraging them to return home in order to help drive their own economies.

The study encourages the government to do more to help these students remain in the US after they graduate, so that they can continue to offer their skills and innovation to the economy. Under current laws, foreign students can only stay in the US for between 12 and 29 months, depending on whether they have got a relevant job.

Highlighting the important contribution these immigrants are making, Bloomberg said in a statement to the NYT: “Now that we know immigrants are behind more than three of every four patents from leading universities, the federal laws that send so many of them back to their home countries look even more patently wrong.”

With consternation from groups about the lack of jobs for US born workers, however, relaxing immigration laws will not be something warmly received by all. Indeed, Eric Ruark, from the Federal for American Immigration Reform group, says: “No one is asking what is in their best interest, the American worker. It’s what is best for the employers. What is best for the foreign workers. It’s not as if the foreign workers aren’t skilled. What’s being ignored is we already have a domestic work force that has the same skills.”