More than one-third of U.S. innovators are born outside the U.S. Only 13.5 percent of all U.S. residents are immigrants. But a new report says 35 percent of residents with a doctorate degree, or Ph.D, in science and mathematics are immigrants. This shows that highly-educated immigrants could be one of the country’s most valuable resources. The report came from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (or ITIF) in February. The ITIF is an organization that studies how technology affects the world. Adam Nager is an economic policy analyst at the ITIF. He said, "U.S. innovation really depends on individuals born outside of the U.S." These are scientists, engineers, people with really, really high education, who’ve made the choice to immigrate to the United States,” Nager added. "They often seek the kind of research opportunities, the kind ofentrepreneurial opportunities that are offered in the United States."
