Exceptional by Design: How to Fix High-Skilled Immigration to Maximize American Interests
"The ability to attract, retain, and integrate top entrepreneurs, engineers, thinkers, investors, and researchers is an advantage that the countries we compete against simply do not have."
What It’s About
Ozimek, O’Brien, and Lettieri propose overhauling America’s high-skilled immigration system. They argue the current framework fails to prioritize talent effectively, stifles entrepreneurship, and is inadequate for America’s economic and national security needs. Their proposed reforms prioritize high earners, facilitate regional economic revitalization, and help catalyze growing strategic industries like semiconductor manufacturing.
Upshot
Ozimek, O'Brien & Lettieri recommend:
- Replace H-1B visas: Introduce a new Skilled Worker Visa that prioritizes younger, higher-paid applicants to foster competition, innovation, and fairness in the labor market
- Heartland Visa: Direct high-skilled immigration toward economically stagnant regions to revitalize local economies and reduce regional disparities
- National Security Visas: Implement programs like the Chipmaker’s Visa to attract essential talent for strategic sectors critical to national security
Did you know? Immigrants have founded 55% of all U.S. billion-dollar startups ("unicorns") and 44% of Fortune 500 companies.
Why It Matters
The kind of place-based reform that the authors advocate has the potential to bridge the political divide over immigration by directly supporting bipartisan national priorities, increasing economic growth in distressed places.
Who Wrote It
Adam Ozimek is the Chief Economist at the Economic Innovation Group, specializing in labor markets and economic policy.
Connor O’Brien is a Senior Policy Analyst at EIG, focusing on workforce development and regional economic revitalization.
John Lettieri is the President and CEO of EIG.