Getting Schooled: The Role of Universities in Attracting Immigrant Entrepreneurs. Research Briefs in Economic Policy. Number 280

Immigrants play a vital role in innovation activities and entrepreneurship. Given the substantial contribution of immigrants in these areas, a set of natural questions arise: What are the pathways that high-skilled immigrants take to arrive in the United States, and how has the importance of these pathways changed over time? What are important institutions that serve as gatekeepers for high-skilled immigrants, and do they affect the types of immigrant founders that come to the United States? Do certain parts of the United States benefit disproportionately from high-skilled immigration, and if so, what are some factors that contribute to these benefits? The answers to these questions have important implications for designing immigration policy and regulation, which have become increasingly acrimonious topics in public discourse. They also have important implications for firms and universities that recruit talent from abroad and for the communities that hope to promote vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems. To answer these questions, the authors studied immigrant entrepreneurs backed by venture capital (VC). From a policy perspective, the results emphasize the importance of immigrant entrepreneurs as founders of startups with high growth potential. [This research brief is based on Natee Amornsiripanitch, Paul A. Gompers, George Hu, and Kaushik Vasudevan, "Getting Schooled: The Role of Universities in Attracting Immigrant Entrepreneurs," NBER Working Paper no. 28773, May 2021.]