Immigration and Economic Impact

As the U.S. navigates its immigration policies, let’s remember what’s at stake. International students make up a significant share of our undergraduate and graduate programs—especially in critical STEM fields. Immigrants are the majority of PhDs working in computer science, engineering, and life sciences. They’ve won nearly 40% of U.S. Nobel Prizes in the sciences (2000–2019), and they’ve helped spark revolutions—from generative AI to biotech. At least 25 AI unicorns in the U.S. were founded by immigrants. And 6 of the 8 authors behind the seminal Google 2017 “transformers” paper—arguably the foundation of today’s AI boom—were immigrants. This isn’t just about people. It’s about progress. Smart, compassionate immigration policy isn’t a threat. It’s a strategic advantage. Let’s not forget that America’s demographic resilience—unlike many of its global competitors—rests on immigration.

The most important news for UK startups this week wasn’t about trade or defence. It was a single line about visas. And barely anyone noticed.   Buried in the new UK-EU deal is this: “Talks are continuing on a youth mobility scheme to allow people aged 18–30 in the UK and the EU to move freely between countries for a limited period of time.”   Sounds like a footnote. But if you’re building in the UK or hoping to this might be the most founder-friendly policy we’ve seen in years.   Why? Because startup ecosystems don’t grow without early talent. Without people in their 20s who are hungry, skilled, and globally-minded arriving with fresh ideas and the freedom to act on them.   This scheme could quietly make it possible again for: – A young founder from Lisbon to come build in Manchester. – A designer from Berlin to join a London startup as a co-founder. – A Gen Z entrepreneur to explore the UK market without a five-figure visa process.   This isn’t about free movement. It’s about smart movement. It’s about creating a pipeline of people who don’t just want to work in the UK, they want to build here.   So while broader policy debates continue, those of us in the startup world should be asking a different question: What kind of founders do we want in the room five years from now and are we making it possible for them to even get through the door?   The next chapter of UK innovation doesn’t start with big headlines. It starts with policies like this and people like us making sure they don’t go unnoticed.

Here’s the blunt truth: immigrants are the backbone of our workforce. And without them, the economy doesn’t just slow—it suffers. Immigrants drive innovation. Did you know that 45% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children? That’s nearly half of the businesses fueling our economy. When we build legal pathways for immigrants, we’re building our own potential for growth. From tech to healthcare to construction, key industries depend on immigrants. In fact, 1 in 6 U.S. healthcare workers are foreign-born. Our economy cannot afford to lose them. This is a business issue, not a political one. Every time our team at @Upwardly Global meets with employers, the message is the same: “We need skilled workers.” Yet, systemic barriers persist. Over 2 million immigrant professionals in the U.S. are underemployed or unemployed. What if we unlocked that talent instead of sidelining it? Why should leaders care right now? When immigrant workers thrive, businesses thrive. When businesses thrive, communities thrive. The stakes are high. Without immediate action: 🚫 We risk economic stagnation. 🚫 We lose our competitive edge in global markets. 🚫 We tell millions of capable, hardworking individuals they’re not welcome here. What does good leadership look like? Bold, values-driven action dictated by: 1️⃣ Hiring inclusively: Seek out untapped, immigrant talent for roles at all levels. 2️⃣ Advocating for fair policies: Use your platform to support immigration inclusion 3️⃣ Investing in job readiness and upskilling programs: Ensure that everyone can access the market, including immigrants.

When I arrived at Harvard, I quickly discovered something extraordinary: The university’s greatest strength isn't its buildings or endowment—it’s the vibrant global community of students who arrive here from every corner of the world, bringing their dreams and the determination to build them. But yesterday, that strength came under threat. The Trump administration just announced it will halt Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, using political leverage in an attempt to pressure the university. This decision doesn't simply affect admissions—it undermines America's position as a global hub for innovation. As Co-President of Harvard Undergraduate Women in Entrepreneurship, I've witnessed firsthand the incredible power of international talent on campus. Immigrant founders play an enormous role in U.S. entrepreneurship: 55% of America’s billion-dollar startups have at least one immigrant founder. About 25% of all U.S. unicorns were founded or co-founded by individuals who arrived here first as international students. On average, each of these international student founders created approximately 860 jobs in the U.S. At Harvard specifically: International alumni have launched over two dozen unicorns, including global giants like Stripe, Cloudflare, FalconX, and Writer. These startups collectively employ thousands, shape entire industries, and generate economic growth far beyond Cambridge. Nearly 40% of immigrant founders educated in the U.S. build their companies in the state where they attended university, directly benefiting local communities and economies. Closing Harvard’s doors to these students won't just hurt one university.  It signals to global talent that America might no longer be the best place to pursue their ambitions. Talented innovators will inevitably look elsewhere: Canada, the UK, Europe, Asia—regions eager to welcome their brilliance and entrepreneurial spirit. America’s leadership in innovation depends on openness, not isolation. Let's protect the promise that made Harvard—and America—so compelling in the first place. Because if we tell the world’s brightest minds they aren't welcome here, the loss won't be theirs alone. It will be ours.

H-1B just got an upgrade: you can now build your own company while staying employed. 📌 What has happened - In early 2025, USCIS introduced key changes to H-1B rules that expand flexibility for visa holders to pursue entrepreneurship alongside traditional employment. - The update allows H-1B professionals to work for their own company through concurrent H-1B authorization while continuing with an existing employer. - More importantly, it clarifies that a founder-owned startup can sponsor its own H-1B visa, even if the beneficiary holds significant or full ownership. 📌 What this means in practice You can now: - Own 100% of your company and still qualify for H-1B sponsorship. - Run your startup alongside your primary H-1B job (concurrent filing). - Transition fully and let your startup sponsor your H-1B independently. The key requirement: - A valid employer-employee relationship, including control mechanisms. 📌 Why this is a big deal Historically, H-1B rules created friction for founders; 2025 changes signal a shift from restricting founders to enabling startup creation within the visa framework. This effectively opens the door to a new category: the H-1B founder-operator. 📌 Why it matters now In a market defined by layoffs and uncertainty, H-1B holders are actively looking for risk diversification. This model offers income security and upside potential; it also aligns with broader trends: the rise of solo founders, lean startup ecosystems and global talent building U.S.-based companies. The U.S. has long struggled to retain immigrant founders. We may be entering a golden era of H-1B entrepreneurship, but it’s still underutilized. The rules have changed. The opportunity is real. #USA #h1b #entrepreneurship #talent #layoffs #jobs #immigration #security

Tired of visa struggles in the U.S.? Canada’s Start-Up Visa is solving that problem. For many U.S. entrepreneurs, the dream of building and scaling a company is blocked by: - Temporary visas - Renewal headaches - Healthcare costs that eat into budgets Canada’s Start-Up Visa (SUV) Program changes that. Here’s why more founders are looking north: 1. Permanent Residency from Day One No more visa lotteries. No yearly renewals. You get PR directly, which means: - Universal healthcare from the start - Spouse can work anywhere - Kids can study in public schools Focus on building your company, not your immigration status. 2. A Strong Start-Up Ecosystem Canada is now one of the most entrepreneur-friendly countries. Access to grants like IRAP & SR&ED tax credits Lower healthcare costs for you and your team Active investor community that supports global founders 3. Access to Global Markets With trade agreements like USMCA, CETA, and CPTPP, you reach 1.5 billion+ customers. Easy access to the U.S. market Global cities like Toronto & Vancouver as launchpads Multicultural workforce with global experience 4. Cost Savings & Family Benefits - Toronto office rent is 40–60% cheaper than San Francisco. - Employer payroll costs are nearly half of many U.S. states. - Add universal healthcare + childcare benefits = thousands saved every year. 5. Flexibility & Security You can choose your city: Toronto (finance & tech), Vancouver (Asia-Pacific), Montreal (AI), or even smaller hubs like Halifax & Waterloo. After 3 years of PR, you can apply for citizenship. And here’s a hidden gem: While your PR is being processed, you can move to Canada on a work permit and start building immediately. For many U.S. entrepreneurs, the SUV program isn’t just immigration. It’s long-term stability, cost savings, and a chance to grow globally. Canada is not just another option. It’s the smarter option. Follow Let's Emigrate to know more about this program #CanadaStartupVisa #Entrepreneurs #CanadaPR #StartupEcosystem #LetsEmigrate

Over the past 20 years, the ratio of entrepreneurs in Canada has dropped from 3/1,000 Canadians to 1.3/1,000 today (source: https://lnkd.in/eqS7NNaE). This is incredibly worrisome because entrepreneurs and innovators are the source of Canada’s future opportunities, jobs and wealth. If we’re to reverse this trend, we need to become incredibly strategic. A reasonable starting point is to not repeat the past practices and mistakes that got us here. For example, I’m glad that Josh Scott at BetaKit dug into the story of the failed Startup Visa (SUV) program (see below). But I don’t think his story yet covers the genesis of the problem — the complete disconnect that exists at the interface between government and innovators/entrepreneurs. Last summer, my team looked at federal “innovation support” programs to see which ones had KPIs and were iterating towards global best practices (source: https://lnkd.in/e-S9X_jk). We were sorely disappointed. If Canada wants to become a global innovation leader, we need our policy makers to design programs that understand and prioritize the conditions for entrepreneurial success. Today, the priority is to eliminate the risk of bureaucratic and political blame (this sad fact was again confirmed to me this past week by a very senior ISED official). Simply, the risk we prioritize, and how we manage it, actually creates risk. So, how do we change this guaranteed path to failure? Let’s start by deciding, for example, why an SUV program is important in the first place. Perhaps it’s just that the incidence of entrepreneurship is so much higher among New Canadians, given that 34% of our entrepreneurs are immigrants! (source: https://lnkd.in/eKDRVXGE) Then, let’s identify where there is a current and growing need for entrepreneurs in a strategically important sector or jurisdiction. Next, let’s agree on the conditions necessary for that immigrant entrepreneur’s success (talent, procurement, investment, regulatory agility, etc.), and let’s work to put the conditions for their success in place. Then, let’s use a globally competitive program to identify and match vetted, world class entrepreneurs with our strategic need (potentially using one of our proven and globally competitive acceleration programs, like Creative Destruction Lab)… and give that accelerator the authority to do their job and be accountable for the results! Imagine getting these steps right. Once we do, imagine spreading those conditions for entrepreneurial success across the federal govt’s 134+ “innovation support” programs (while maybe eliminating 80-90% of them). I desperately hope we can stop creating programs that are designed to eliminate the risk of bureaucratic and political blame. Otherwise, we’re destined to continue to deliver failure.

Canada just sent 3,000 invitations to foreign workers, and this pattern reveals why smart entrepreneurs are choosing Canada over the US. On July 8th, Canada's latest Express Entry draw invited skilled workers (with a CRS score of 518) to apply for permanent residency through the Canadian Experience Class program. This marks the 7th draw this year, bringing the total to 18,850 invitations sent to foreign workers with Canadian experience. Here's what makes Canada's approach fundamentally different: 📍 Speed over bureaucracy: Express Entry processes applications in 2 wks, not 2 yrs 📍 Experience-based selection: They prioritize people who've proven their contribution to the Canadian economy 📍 Transparent scoring system: The Comprehensive Ranking System shows exactly what you need to qualify The business opportunity this creates is massive: → Startup ecosystem access: Foreign entrepreneurs can establish themselves quickly and build companies without visa uncertainty → Talent pipeline advantage: Canadian companies can recruit globally and convert temporary workers to permanent residents seamlessly → Market entry strategy: International businesses can send their best people to establish Canadian operations knowing they can stay long-term As someone who navigated this system myself, I've seen how this predictable immigration process transforms business planning. When I moved from India in 2019, I had no guarantee of permanent status. Today, through programs like this, skilled professionals can map out their Canadian journey. While other countries debate immigration policy, Canada is systematically building its workforce for the next decade. Every 2 weeks, they're selecting 3,000 people who already understand Canadian work culture and are ready to contribute immediately. For entrepreneurs and skilled professionals It's about choosing a country that actively invests in your success. Are you considering Canada for your next big move? #immigration #canada #entrepreneurship #talent

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗯 One of politics’ more convenient fantasies is that a country can tighten immigration and keep #innovation untouched. Benjamin Cornejo Costas and Andrea Morrison suggest otherwise in their new 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺 article. They examine the #US quota acts of 1921–24 to find that the counties and #technologies most exposed to inventors from Southern and Eastern #Europe suffered a marked decline in patenting after restrictions were imposed. Total patenting also fell sharply. US-born inventors patented less too. Even breakthrough inventions became rarer. That is the larger point. #Immigration is not just a labour-market story. It is a #knowledge story. Talent carries tacit know-how: the kind that does not travel neatly in documents, but does travel with people. Curb the movement of people and you do not simply reduce numbers; you thin the pool of ideas a country can combine, test and turn into something new. The intention of the quota acts was to exclude supposedly undesirable arrivals. Their unintended consequence was to weaken #invention in precisely the places where cross-border knowledge mattered most. Borders can be tightened. But a nation should not expect ingenuity to pass through unharmed. For those interested in reading further, the full article is accessible here: https://lnkd.in/eCvhd5Cq

Silicon Valley worships the garage myth. Two friends, bad coffee, infinite upside. It’s a place where failure is practically a love language: miss big, pivot, try again. Beautiful! But here’s the blind spot: the immigration system doesn’t grade on the same curve. When an American CEO flames out, they lick their wounds and reboot. But when an immigrant CEO flames out, they may be rebooting from another continent. And I guarantee you that wherever they came from, failure is not celebrated as it is here. They’ll forever be wearing a scarlet letter. That changes the calculus of “risk‑taking” way more than people realize. Fresh off the plane, most immigrants have zero safety net. No loved ones down the street, no social capital. Most don't have money. Many left not‑so‑great situations back home: no plan B. A bureaucratic typo in your visa application or renewal, a miscalculation of how many days you could be outside the country, or an ill‑timed post that offends the current government—and you’re out. It’s extremely precarious. This breeds a simmering anxiety many of us don’t even notice (👋 high‑functioning anxiety pals). We just swim in it, like fish in water. Survival mode soaks up oxygen we could spend on 10× ideas. You don’t feel how heavy that backpack is until the day you finally drop it. Then every risk suddenly looks lighter. I lugged that weight for 20 years—visa after visa. I chose safe jobs at Goldman and in PE partly because the legal path was near‑guaranteed. More than once I wanted to quit to “explore,” but you can’t do that and keep your work permit. The day my green card arrived, I exhaled for the first time in two decades—and, not coincidentally, my VC career at Emergence shifted into overdrive. High‑conviction, low‑volume investing only works when you can bet big without hedging your very existence or right to stay in the country. Back in limbo I’d tell friends, “Give me a green card—better yet, a passport—and I’ll finally feel safe.” They shook their heads: “You’ll get it, then want something else.” Let me tell you—they were wrong. Hedonic adaptation might be real for corner offices and new iPhones, but not for legal permanence. The day I became a citizen—after 20 years in the U.S., seven months pregnant—I sobbed in relief, waving my little paper flag. In that moment, the fog lifted. I felt more creative, bolder, more willing to be wrong. Confidence finally had room to breathe—and without that, big swings stay theory. So if you’re on a visa and dreaming big, here’s my advice: build whatever safety net lets you sleep at night. It doesn’t need to be massive, but standing on solid ground—however you define it (family, friends, a rainy‑day fund, a great legal team)—makes it a whole lot easier to bet on something truly bold.