More immigrants needed in Mass. to boost entrepreneurship, think tank says

A local Boston think tank is calling on federal leaders to ease immigration restrictions, particularly for educated workers and students who represent an oversized share of entrepreneurs.

The right-leaning Pioneer Institute's study argues restrictive policies are inhibiting economic activity in Massachusetts and across the country.

Researchers say entrepreneurship among immigrants is twice what it is for people born in the U.S., and immigrants are behind a large share of companies that support hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in spending. That’s why the U.S. should let in more people from other countries, the authors say, and keep them here after they graduate.

The research shows international students predominate in fields including computer science, economics and industrial engineering. Overall, in science and engineering fields, those born outside of the U.S. make up more than 40% of all students.

"International students are a tremendous resource," said Aidan Enright, one of the authors of the Pioneer Study. "And we're not really doing all we can do to facilitate their impact or attract them to the U.S."

The study calls attention to a major decline in students from China at American universities, with a 22% decrease since 2019. At the current pace, Chinese students are expected to be outnumbered by students from India.

Researchers say the U.S. is losing immigrants to countries like Canada, an effect being felt disproportionately in Massachusetts because of the high concentration of STEM-related industries here.

Co-author Josh Bedi said the United States is still one of the most immigrant-friendly destinations among developed countries. But the U.S. risks losing its edge if lawmakers don't allow in more immigrants.

"We're quickly losing out to Canada, and I think other countries are starting to wise up to [the need for] high-skilled workers or workers with high levels of education," Bedi said.

The think tank is calling for a new type of visa directed at entrepreneurs.