The Immigrant Exodus

In this Economist magazine book of the year, Vivek Wadhwa – entrepreneur, job creator and director of research for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University – argues that the United States faces a “reverse brain-drain” of crisis proportions. He presents shocking study findings that large numbers of Indian, Chinese and other immigrants leave America after their H-1B skilled worker visas expire. These valuable entrepreneurs and employees return to their home countries for two clear reasons: US visa policy is restrictive and the government refuses to recognize how much these immigrants contribute. Wadhwa draws on his own experience as a child immigrant to make a cogent argument for immediate changes in US policy. While always politically neutral, getAbstract recommends his concise, clear reasoning and accessible writing to entrepreneurs, immigrants, state and federal lawmakers, and anyone who wants to see the US remain a world leader in innovation.