Why Skilled Immigrants Matter
Episode Description
In 2005, immigrant entrepreneurs launched 52% of all startups in Silicon Valley. But today the number has dropped to 44%, and America is not only losing the opportunity to create new jobs but also losing its competitive edge, argues Vivek Wadhwa in his short, passionately argued book, The Immigrant Exodus: Why America Is Losing the Global Race to Capture Entrepreneurial Talent. Unlike during the 1980s, when skilled immigrants could get green cards (that let them become permanent residents of the U.S.) in as little as 18 months, today it can take as long as 17 years. Failure to fix this problem, says Wadhwa in an interview with Knowledge@Wharton, is killing American innovation and entrepreneurship. 📂 Public Policy
Brief Summary
Vivek Wadhwa discusses the struggles of skilled immigrants and proposes solutions to improve U.S. immigration policies.
Key points
- The Immigrant Experience. Discussing how his immigrant journey shaped his success in America.
- The Startup Contribution. Research reveals that a significant percentage of startups are founded by immigrants.
- Reverse Brain Drain. A controversial paper predicts a massive reverse brain drain of talent from the US.
- Political Barriers to Immigration Reform. Political gridlock prevents necessary immigration reforms, impacting America's competitiveness.
- Proposed Solutions for Immigration. Seven fixes are proposed to help reverse the immigrant exodus from the US.
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Episode highlights
- The Immigrant ExperienceDiscussing how his immigrant journey shaped his success in America.“In my mind, the day I got my green card, I became an American.”0:57Nov 20, 2012
- The Startup ContributionResearch reveals that a significant percentage of startups are founded by immigrants.“From 1995 to 2005, a quarter of all startups in America were founded by immigrants.”5:59Nov 20, 2012
- Reverse Brain DrainA controversial paper predicts a massive reverse brain drain of talent from the US.“The title 'reverse brain drain' created a lot of controversy.”8:38Nov 20, 2012
- Political Barriers to Immigration ReformPolitical gridlock prevents necessary immigration reforms, impacting America's competitiveness.“Politics, politics, politics.”12:42Nov 20, 2012
- Proposed Solutions for ImmigrationSeven fixes are proposed to help reverse the immigrant exodus from the US.“We need to increase the number of visas. That is the biggest hit.”15:20Nov 20, 2012
