Partnership for a New American Economy

The Washington Post
May 23, 2012

A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to help American companies hire immigrant workers, particularly those with hard-to-find math and science expertise — but the bill faces a tough battle on the Hill.

Startup Act 2.0 would essentially create two new types of visas, one for foreign students who obtain graduate degrees in science- and math-related fields from American universities, and another that offers permanent residence to immigrants who start successful companies and create jobs in the United States.

Similar legislation failed earlier this year after it got caught in larger questions about immigration policy, and complaints that the non-natives could squeeze Americans out of well-paying jobs.

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New York Post
May 23, 2012

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The report by the Partnership for New York City and the Partnership for a New American Economy spotlighted failings of US immigration policies that the mayor has been complaining about for years, portraying a nation that’s sitting by idly while competitors around the globe snatch up workers who are most in demand.

The examples were stark: In 1991, some 18 percent of both Canada’s and America’s immigrants were rated as highly skilled; by last year, Canada’s percentage had soared to 67, while the United States was falling further behind, at 13 percent.

The report noted that Canada allows its provinces to set different immigration standards to attract the type of employees each region needs.

The mayor quickly endorsed a similar proposal for US states — and then some.

...

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Newser
May 23, 2012

America's immigration system is turning away the very workers it needs for economic growth, Michael Bloomberg warned at a panel discussion yesterday. The New York City mayor, pointing to a report showing that other countries are snapping up skilled migrants, argued that states should be allowed to set immigration standards in the same way that Canadian provinces do, and suggested that declining cities like Detroit be forced to accept immigrants to turn their fortunes around, reports the New York Post.

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The Atlantic
May 22, 2012

Recently, yet another bill was introduced in Congress trying to ensure that more highly skilled and educated foreign workers are allowed into the country each year.

The bill, by Sen. John Cornyn, the senior Republican on a panel that oversees immigration issues, is sure to be one of many that promises to look at the issue of how U.S. policy impacts the ebb and flow of high-tech jobs in the nation.

The proposed legislation comes on the heels of several comments at the Innovation Summit that the future of business creativity in the United States depends on getting the best minds together, regardless of nationality.

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National Journal
May 22, 2012

The war for talent is global war, and U.S. immigration policies put the American economy at risk, according to a report released on Tuesday.

To win the race for talented workers and to spark economic growth, the U.S. should revamp its immigration policy, according to the Partnership for a New American Economy and Partnership for New York City, a group of mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that they say will help create jobs who published the report.

Among the recommendations:

• Provide visas to the STEM graduates educated in American universities.
• Award more green cards based on economic needs.
• Create a visa program to allow foreign entrepreneurs to build their firms in the US.
• Let American companies hire the highly educated workers they need.
• Give seasonal and labor-intensive industries access to foreign workers when they cannot find Americans to fill jobs.
• Allow local governments to recruit more immigrants to meet regional needs.

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New York Times
May 22, 2012

The United States is facing intense competition from foreign countries, especially China, that are seeking to persuade highly skilled citizens who have settled in this country to return home to start businesses there, according to a report released Tuesday by an immigration group led by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York.

“China is proving the most aggressive and ambitious” among the United States’ economic competitors in seeking to reverse a brain drain and lure back their scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs, the report by Mr. Bloomberg’s group, the Partnership for a New American Economy, found.

The report was broadly critical of the American immigration system, which it said is slow, inflexible and not synchronized with the nation’s labor needs. “Self-inflicted economic wounds” caused by the system, the report says, discourage foreigners from investing and block foreign students with advanced degrees from American universities from remaining here. The report was prepared by Mr. Bloomberg’s group and the Partnership for New York City, a business organization.

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Capital New York
May 22, 2012

“I don’t think there’s any question, it’s the immigrants who are willing to work harder, on average,” said the mayor of New York City, whose population is more than a third foreign-born. “Plenty of native-born Americans, tenth-generation here, that work very hard. So I’m not dissing everybody. But on balance, it’s no question that people come here, and they come here because they want to live the great American dream, and they don’t think it’s just going to be given to them or that they deserve it. They come with the ethic of wanting to work for it.”

“The immigrants are usually the most motivated, the most hardworking, the most risk-taking,” Salinas, a Mexican billionaire, agreed a few minutes later. “They’re the best of the human capital, by definition, because they’re the first movers.”

Bloomberg, in a pinstriped suit and tassled loafers and Salinas, also in businessman dress, were speaking on a panel about immigration and the economy hosted by the New York Forum, an organization whose mission is to faciliate discussion of issues affecting the economy. It was founded by Richard Attias, whose website describes him as “the world's top community builder for the ‘thinking elite.’”

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Huffington Post
May 22, 2012

What do Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) have in common?

Not much when it comes to their voting records. But today these Republican and Democratic Senators did something we haven't seen in long time -- they showed uncommon bipartisan leadership by introducing the Startup Act 2.0, legislation designed to boost the American economy by creating incentives for entrepreneurs to start new business.

In introducing Startup 2.0 the Senators recognize what the credible studies have told us for years -- that creating incentives for immigrant entrepreneurs is the key to America's economic vitality because immigrants are job creators. In an op-ed published in Politico they explained:

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National Journal
May 22, 2012

A bipartisan Senate immigration bill introduced on Tuesday would create two new types of visas to attract and keep immigrants skilled in the fields where the United States is weakest: science, technology, engineering, and math. The bill is designed to follow on the success of the Jobs Act in helping start-ups get capital.

Technology firms have increasingly complained that without changes to the current immigration system, they may be forced to move research and other projects offshore so they can hire the high-skilled workers they need.

The legislation, known as the Start-up Act 2.0, would create a new visa for foreign students who receive graduate degrees from U.S. schools in science, technology, engineering, or math fields. Those foreigners could eventually obtain permanent residency as long as they remain active working in the so-called STEM fields for at least five years. It would also create a new entrepreneur’s visa for 75,000 skilled legal immigrants a year who start a U.S. business, employ Americans, and invest or raise capital in the United States.

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The Hill
May 22, 2012

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has joined three other freshman senators in pushing a series of proposals that would make it easier for highly skilled immigrants to work in the United States.

The lawmakers — Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rubio — said their Startup Act 2.0 seeks to give businesses a better chance to attract talent.

The senators’ bill would create new visas, one allowing foreign students who obtained graduate degrees in math, science and other related fields to stay in the United States, and another for immigrant entrepreneurs who grow jobs and create companies here.

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