Is This Immigrant The Next Thomas Edison?

Last week the Bloom Box was officially unveiled to the world.  If its proponents are correct, the Bloom Box will radically redefine how America (and the World) gets its electrical energy.  The creator of the Bloom Box is K.R. Sridhar and if you listen to him on 60 Minutes, you will know why some are [...]

Are Immigrants a Solution to the Rust Belt’s Economic Problems?

Seth Hoy of Immigration Impact recently discussed the benefits that Immigrants have, and can, bring to the Rust Belt’s economy. Rust Belt states have been in decline for many years, however, with the proper immigration system, the Rust Belt could reverse its decline and become economically viable again.

Military Immigrant Program a Success

Last February the U.S. military instituted a pilot program to allow for certain temporary immigrants to enter into the Armed Forces in key, strategically important positions.  The program has been a great success and will hopefully expand in the coming years.  Over a thousand recruits have enlisted through the program.

The program allows for foreign nationals [...]

New Report Shows Economic Benefits of CIR

Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda of the University of California-Los Angeles recently released the report, Raising the Floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.  The report concludes that America would stand to gain at least $1.5 trillion in added Gross Domestic Product over ten years.  Additionally, the report states that comprehensive immigration reform [...]

Silicon Valley to Congress: We Need Startup Visa

by Alison

More an idea than a location, Silicon Valley is  a culture of risk and reward – go hard, go fast, go for broke.  If you succeed, you reap the rewards – if you falter, you start anew with a different idea.  This mindset is capitalism at its best and has garnered America many, [...]

Continuing the Contribution of Immigrants to the United States

“Were it not for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, there might be no Google.”  That sentence began a recently published article in the New York Times.  At first that statement seems improbable – but given the backstory that statement is most probably true.  You see, thirty years ago the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society assisted [...]

Wall Street Journal Opines on U.S. Immigration Policy

A recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal examined the US immigration policy on tracking foreign national scientists and researchers.  The opinion piece was a harsh criticism of the current policy on foreign national students, stating “[i]t would be hard to invent a policy more counterproductive to our national interest.”

Comprehensive Immigration Reform has been [...]

Four Naturalized U.S. Citizens Win Nobel Prizes

The United States has been well represented at this year’s Nobel Prize announcements.  In fact, the United States won the first six Nobel Prizes awarded (not to mention President Obama’s award).  The United States should be proud of its citizens’ accomplishments and the U.S. institutions and communities that made it possible for these Americans to [...]

Conrad 30 and EB-5 Programs Extended

President Obama has signed a stopgap bill extending the Conrad 30 and EB-5 programs until October 31, 2009. Both of these programs are expected to be extended further within the coming weeks. The Conrad 30 program allows for states to sponsor foreign national physicians who agree to work in under-served health areas. [...]

Register for the Diversity Lottery

The 2011 Diversity Visa Lottery is now open.  The diversity lottery allows for foreign nationals to register for a “lottery” that allows up to 55,000 foreign nationals to gain entry into the United States.  Virtually anyone can apply, however, this year foreign nationals from the following countries are not eligible: BRAZIL, CANADA, CHINA (mainland-born), COLOMBIA, [...]

Bill Gates Criticises U.S. Immigration Policy

In a recent speech, Bill Gate criticised America’s immigration policy and offered a concrete example of how America’s lagging immigration policy has caused Microsoft to create jobs outside of the United States.  According to the New York Times, Gates suggested that the U.S. should have exceptions for “smart people” in its immigration policy.  These exceptions, [...]

Immigrant Soldier with Temporary Visa Becomes U.S. Citizen

The USCIS recently announced that the first nonimmigrant soldier to participate in the Defense Department’s Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) recruiting program has become a naturalized U.S. Citizen.  As previously discussed on the Immigration Insight blog, MAVNI allows a foreign national who is in the United States on a temporary visas to [...]

American Opportunity in this Recession

As the recession continues, many have tired to find solace by looking at the good that has come out of previous economic downturns. Many have commented that the majority of today’s leading companies were started during economic down turns. Sunday’s Thomas Friedman article looks a bit deeper into that statement, and [...]

Historical Immigration Documents Sent to National Archives, Opened to Public

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service recently announced that it has begun sending historical immigration files to the National Archives.  These files will provide a significant amount  of information to genealogist and historians and will add to the historical understanding of America.  Going forward, the Service will transfer individual files to the National Archives one hundred [...]

Do We Need Foreign Technology Workers?

In the latest installment of the New York Times’ series examining immigration in the United States, the newspaper asks, “Do We Need Foreign Technology Workers?”   In the piece, the paper asks six “experts” in immigration policy to answer that question.  The responses, coupled with the readers’ comments, cover the entire spectrum of possible answers. [...]