Research from the University of Californa at Berkeley and from Duke Universitysuggests that immigrants are not only filing a quarter of all the patents filed in the US, they are founders of 25 per cent of the enigineering start-up companies.
Those people worried about immigration will feel better after a report which finds that 25 per cent of the technology and engineering companies founded in the US between 1995 and 2005 had at least one foreign-born founder.
The sales of these companies amounted to $50bn.
Furthermore, 25 percent of all patents filed in the US deny in the 1995-205 period were filed by immigrants.
The report was written by Vivek Wadhwa, originally an immigrant from India, assisted by researchers from the University of California at Brerkeley and Duke University.
It is being cited in Washington in support for the argument to allow more H-IB visas which permit foreigners to work in the US.
As in the UK, there is a debate in the US about whether immigrants take low paid jobs which acts to depress wages, or whether their energy and entrepreneurism create businesses, wealth and new jobs.
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