The Immigration of Intellectuals

The following was published in the March eNews

Science education and research is a global endeavor. In the recently released NSF Survey of Earned Doctorates, 33% of the 41,000 PhDs awarded in science and engineering in the US in 2008 went to non-US citizen visa holders¹. What is more, these highly skilled and trained scientists are not leaving with a separate study finding that 62% of foreigners who came to the US for their doctorates were still working here five years later². These statistics supporting the role of the US in the globalization of academic science belie a common impediment that foreign scientists face: a challenging visa process that has seen a recent resurgence in delays for students and a low cap on permanent-resident visas for those aspiring to remain and work here³. For international scientists, the immigration and visa process in the US is a legitimate concern.

Science Alliance is helping international science PhDs understand the intricacies involved in studying and working in the US by hosting the event “Navigating Immigration and Visa Issues: A Primer for Postdocs and Young Scientists” March 8 at the Academy. Leading the discussion are two lawyers from a firm specializing in immigration and nationality law. I highly encourage all international scientists to attend and to spread the word to your colleagues here and abroad as this event will be broadcast as a live webinar for those unable to join us at the Academy in New York.

Do you have a story about how visa issues have impacted your work or studies?

Update on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 11:10AM by Monica L. Kerr, PhD

The event was a success with 38 people attending the live presentation and 39 tuning in over the web (including 10 at the group login at Albert Einstein).  This is obviously an important topic to many. If you missed the seminar, the video and slides will be posted on the event link in the next week or so. If you attended, share your thoughts below. What did you think?