If President Obama is serious about a comprehensive immigration reform, he’ll need to overcome two big problems: our softening competitive edge in the global market, and the hostile attitudes many Americans have about immigration. The way out? Establish a strong rationale for immigration that’s linked to our self-interest in innovation and long-term economic development.
In the years leading up to World War II, the United States recruited Europe’s top talent for our nuclear program. Scientists such as Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, and Edward Teller immigrated to America and played an instrumental role in securing our country’s future and developing its nuclear advantage.
Today, we need to think about a new “Einstein Principle” for our immigration policy. It would make brains, talent and special skills a priority. The point is to attract more individuals with the potential to enhance American innovation and competitiveness, increasing the odds for economic prosperity and rising living standards for all down the road.
At a time of high unemployment, the most pressing need is for more innovators who will start new businesses and create high-paying jobs. We’ve certainly done so successfully in the past.
A Duke University study by Vivek Wadhwa found that 25% of all the technology and engineering businesses launched in the U.S. between 1995 and 2005 had a foreign-born founder. In Silicon Valley, that number was 52.4%. Much of the high-tech boom of recent years has rested on immigrant entrepreneurship.
Yet only 15% of our annual visas are now set aside for employment purposes. Of these, some go to seasonal agricultural workers, while a small number of H-1B visas (65,000) are reserved for “specialty occupations” such as scientists, engineers, and technological experts.
The number reserved for scientists and engineers is drastically below the figure allowed between 1999 and 2004. In that interval, the U.S. federal government set aside up to 195,000 visas each year for H-1B entry. The idea was that scientific innovators were so important for long-term economic development that we needed to boost the number let in.
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