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Immigration Adds Billions of Dollars to U.S. Economic Growth Every Year

IPC Research Fellow Dan Siciliano told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that immigration is directly responsible for billions of dollars annually in U.S. economic growth. Siciliano, who also is Executive Director of the Program in Law, Economics and Business at Stanford Law School, explained to the Committee that "if the United States were to reform the immigration system to better address the demand for foreign-born labor, the economic benefits of immigration could be even greater than what we have already experienced."

Published On: Sun, Apr 16, 2006 | Download File

Immigrants, Skills, and Wages: Measuring the Economic Gains from Immigration

Foreign-born workers do not substitute perfectly for, and therefore do not compete with, most native-born workers. Rather, the complementary nature of the skills, occupations, and abilities of foreign-born workers increases the productivity of natives, stimulates investment, and enhances the choices available to consumers.

Published On: Mon, Mar 13, 2006 | Download File

No Way In: U.S. Immigration Policy Leaves Few Legal Options for Mexican Workers

Current immigration policies are completely out of sync with the U.S. economy’s demand for workers who fill less-skilled jobs, especially in the case of Mexican workers. While U.S. immigration policies present a wide array of avenues for immigrants to enter the United States, very few of these avenues are tailored to workers in less-skilled occupations. It should come as no surprise, then, that immigrants come to or remain in the United States without proper documentation in response to the strong economic demand for less-skilled labor.

Published On: Fri, Jul 01, 2005 | Download File

Ties that Bind: Immigration Reform Should be Tailored to Families, Not Just Individuals

Given the extent to which undocumented immigrants already living in the United States are part of U.S.-based families, comprehensive immigration reform must include more than just a new temporary worker program.

Published On: Mon, May 02, 2005 | Download File

The Economics of Necessity: Economic Report of the President Underscores Importance of Immigration

Although immigration is crucial to the growth of the U.S. labor force and yields a net fiscal benefit to the U.S. economy, current immigration policies fail to respond to actual labor demand.

Published On: Sun, May 01, 2005 | Download File

Essential Workers: Immigrants are a Needed Supplement to the Native-Born Labor Force

An analysis of data from the 2000 census reveals that employment in about one-third of all U.S. job categories would have contracted during the 1990s in the absence of recently arrived, noncitizen immigrant workers.

Published On: Tue, Mar 01, 2005 | Download File

Maintaining A Competitive Edge: Foreign-Born and US Immigration Policies in Science and Engineering

Foreign-born scientists and engineers (S&Es) have long played a prominent role in U.S. technological and scientific advancement and are a critical part of the science and engineering (S&E) labor force in corporations, universities, and research centers nationwide. However, long-standing structural flaws in the U.S. visa system and the unintended consequences of security procedures instituted since September 11, 2001, may be causing an increasing number of S&Es to forgo coming to the United States, thereby depriving the nation of a critical supply of human talent.

Published On: Sun, Aug 01, 2004 | Download File

Putting a Cap on Competitiveness: Arbitrary Limits on H-1B Visas Undermine U.S. Science and Engineer

Arbitrary congressional limits on the number of H-1B visas that can be granted annually to highly skilled foreign professionals may undermine the international competitiveness of U.S. science and technology.

Published On: Sun, Aug 01, 2004 | Download File

Relinquishing Excellence: Closing the Door to Foreign Professionals Undermines the U.S. Economy

According to a recent National Science Board report, restrictive U.S. visa policies are beginning to close the door to highly skilled foreign professionals who have long helped maintain U.S. preeminence in science and technology.

Published On: Sat, May 01, 2004 | Download File

Labor Market Numerology: Arbitrary Congressional Limits on Temporary Worker Visas

The current numerical limits on visas for both high-skilled and seasonal workers prevent U.S. businesses from hiring the workers they need, while doing nothing to protect the jobs or wages of native workers. Labor rights are most effectively guaranteed by enforcing labor protections, not by imposing arbitrary numerical caps.

Published On: Thu, Apr 01, 2004 | Download File