One of the immigration proposals being discussed ahead of the upcoming presidential election could have an enormous impact on the Boston innovation and education ecosystem, say academic leaders and venture capitalists — and it's coming from Donald Trump.
To attract and retain talent, the former president wants to give “green cards” to international students who graduate from U.S. colleges. Also known as permanent resident cards, such documents could open the doors of the immigration system to hundreds of thousands foreign-born individuals currently navigating the complicated world of visas.
In Massachusetts — home to almost 80,000 international students — academic leaders told the Business Journal that retaining such students is in the national interest. One venture capitalist based in the Boston area, where dozens of colleges provide a steady pipeline of highly qualified workers to startupland, is in favor of the proposal for its economic potential in startup creation.
“It's an obvious, low-hanging fruit,” said Semyon Dukach, partner at One Way Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital firm that only backs companies with at least one immigrant founder. “If people spent four years going to school here, those are the last people you want to send back to their countries.”
