Immigrants File Most Patents at Top Schools
Date: June 27, 2012
CNNMoney
June 26, 2012
A new study shows immigrants file 76% of patents at the nation’s top schools. Now, the question is how to keep those bright minds in the country.
The study, released Tuesday, is the second produced by a pro-immigration reform group that claims the United States is falling behind in the race for talent. The Partnership for a New American Economy took a look at the inventors behind patents at the 10 universities producing the most patents in 2011.
That year, 54% of those patents came from students, postdoctoral fellows or staff researchers. That’s an issue, because the United States is losing ground against other nations by pushing out immigrant graduates seeking to launch their own businesses.
Few options exist for those who want to stay in the country legally, and the most common route — finding another company to sponsor your visa — goes against the entrepreneur’s mission.