Impact of High-Skilled Immigration on Innovation

Natalie Torres presents her project on how high-skilled immigration affects the U.S. economy, particularly firm innovation. Hani Mansour explains that while immigrants are overrepresented in innovative fields, the H-1B visa program does not consistently increase firm-level innovation. Many H-1B workers are recent graduates hired for routine technical roles rather than innovation-driven work, and the program’s effects vary over time.

Historical Context: The Quota Act

Mansour explains that the Quota Act (1920s–1964) restricted immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe to preserve a Western European–dominated leadership class. It sharply reduced immigration from disfavored regions but was paired with public education investments that helped assimilate immigrants a ...