The shifting nature of US immigration flows

Infographics by Christine Kim; Written by Sarah Amandolare

The current immigration debate often positions newcomers to the US as a burden or drain on the system. There have even been suggestions of implementing “merit-based” admissions into the country. But the conversation around immigration typically fails to take into account what the Migration Policy Institute refers to as a “shift in composition of immigration flows over the past decade, with immigrants’ human capital rising sharply.”

A report produced by the Institute in June 2017, entitled New Brain Gain: Rising Human Capital among Recent Immigrants to the United States, draws on current and historical US Census Bureau data to analyze immigrant groups arriving in the US between 2011 and 2015 according to their regions of origin, immigration status, and states of residence. The infographics shown help tell the story of that analysis, including that more immigrants are arriving with college degrees and higher English proficiency.

At the same time, it’s important to recognize that previous Migration Policy Institute reports have found that immigrant women who have not been educated in the US are severely affected by the problem of “brain waste”, with one in three remaining out of the workforce and many others being underemployed. An analysis of participants in the NWNY Spring 2017 LEAD series helps illustrate this challenge: Over 75 percent earned Bachelor’s degrees in their home countries, rather than the US, and 94 percent were unemployed at the outset of the series.

By making increased education and job readiness and attainment a key outcome for participants, the LEAD series is making a difference. After the completion of the Spring 2017 series, all participants reported feeling better prepared for finding a job or getting into college, while 93 percent said that the program gave them a better understanding of the US workplace culture.

Learn more about LEAD and LEAD for New Moms.