From: Richard T. Herman, Esq.

Co-Author of Immigrant, Inc. Renowned Immigration Lawyer

Co-Chairman, TiE Ohio The International Entrepreneur Co-Founder, Global Detroit & [Type a quote from Global Cleveland

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______________________________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 2, 2011

U.S. Immigration to Announce New Rules to Help Attract & Retain Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Efforts to Align Immigration System With Goals of Creating Jobs for Americans

CLEVELAND Alejandro Majorkas, Director of United States Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS), today will announce new immigration regulations that will increase opportunities for foreign-born entrepreneurs to launch or grow a business in America. Director Majorkas will announce changes to the H-1B visa program, the EB-2 Green Card program, and proposed changes to EB-5 Investor Green Card program, that are designed to attract and retain immigrant entrepreneurs who otherwise might not have a legal channel to stay or come to the U.S. USCIS is taking this extraordinary step to enact administrative reforms in light of longstanding Congressional inaction to pass immigration measures, such as the Startup Visa Act, which are designed to boost Americas economy by attracting and retaining immigrant entrepreneurs ---- the job creators. As the Kauffman Foundation suggests, nearly 100% of all net job creation in American since 1980 come from startups --- companies less than 5 years old. Richard Herman, co-author of Immigrant, Inc (Wiley, 2009) and a Cleveland immigration lawyer says, There is no more powerful job-creating force in America today than entrepreneurship. And research demonstrates that immigrants are driving the creation of

startups and innovation. We have treated immigrant entrepreneurs like dirt ---- but they are the golden job-creators. Here are some of the facts:

Over 50% of the companies in Silicon Valley were founded by an immigrant (Google, Intel, PayPal, YouTube, Sun Microsystem and many others); Over 40% of the Fortune 500 companies were founded by an immigrant or a child of a immigrant (U.S. Steel, Ford, GE, AT&T, Procter & Gamble, Disney, McDonalds, Budweiser, Kraft, Levis, and many others);
Immigrant have created millions of jobs for Americans;

Immigrants launch businesses at DOUBLE the rate of American-born --- a statistic that applies both to high-tech and no-tech businesses;
Immigrants and internationals are filing patents at DOUBLE the rate of American-born;

Immigrants are more likely to have an advanced degree than American-born, particularly in STEM; Immigrant-owned businesses jumped from 13.4% of all new businesses in 1996 to 29.5% of all new businesses in 2010 (despite immigrants comprising only 12% of the population).
For the first time in U.S. history, entrepreneurial and talented immigrants are leaving the U.S. in large numbers, or not coming at all, due to lack of visas for entrepreneurs or long lines for green cards that could exceed 10 years.

Ed Roberts, founder of MITs Entrepreneurship Center, highlights some of the reasons why immigrants excel at entrepreneurialism: To immigrate is an entrepreneurial act. In addition to the outsized contributions in advanced technology, immigrant entrepreneurs are also critical to urban and neighborhood renewal. While other regions in the country are embracing anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy, leaders in cities like Detroit and Cleveland --- cities which have lost hundreds of thousands of jobs --- are looking at innovative ways to attract and retain immigrant entrepreneurs to help repopulate and revitalize their struggling economy. Congress and much of the country is occupied with reduced spending methods to economic recovery. Todays unilateral action by USCIS demonstrates the need for Washington to enact growth strategies which costs the taxpayer nothing. Herman states, Todays action, in many ways, is an indictment on the malfeasance of Congress in refusing to amend antiquated immigration laws that have little relationship to the New Economy. Welcoming immigrant entrepreneurs to America is like dropping seeds into Miracle Grow.

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