Rama Krishna Sangem
Indians are leading the pool of educated immigrants in the US. A recent analysis by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a US-based think tank, sheds light on how educated immigrants, particularly Indians, are shaping the American workforce. According to the study, nearly 48% of immigrants arriving between 2018 and 2022 held a college degree.
“The immigrant population overall slightly outperforms on educational attainment, representing 17% of all college-educated adults in the United States,” said Jeanne Batalova, a senior policy analyst at MPI.
India stands out as a leader in the global pool of educated immigrants, contributing around 2 million degree holders, or 14% of the total educated immigrant population in the US. Following India, China (including Hong Kong) accounted for 1.1 million educated immigrants, making up 7.9% of the total.
The Philippines and Mexico came next, with 7% and 6%, respectively, as per data sourced from the US Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey.
Pathways for educated immigrants
College-educated immigrants arrive in the US through various channels. Some enter on temporary visas for high-skilled workers, while others come as family members of US residents or as humanitarian migrants. Many also pursue education after arriving.
By 2022, around 35% of all immigrant adults in the US (14.1 million people) had a bachelor’s degree or higher. This figure closely mirrors the 36% of US-born adults (67.8 million) who hold college degrees.
Highly skilled immigrants are often more likely to have advanced degrees than their US-born peers. “In 2022, 15% of immigrant college graduates held professional or doctoral degrees, compared to 11% of their US-born counterparts,” the report noted. The two groups were similarly likely to hold a master’s degree, with 30% of foreign-born graduates and 28% of US-born graduates having achieved this level of education.
Where do immigrant graduates work?
A large portion of college-educated immigrants work in skilled occupations. The top five fields for these immigrants include: Management (16%), Computer and mathematical occupations (13%), Health practitioners and technicians (11%), Business and financial operations (10%), Education and related occupations (9%)
This presence is especially noticeable in fields like computer hardware engineering, where 44% of the workforce are immigrants, and computer and information research sciences, where they represent 34% of employees. Additionally, 29% of physicians in the US are immigrants.
Where are they in the US
California, known for its tech industry and universities, has the largest number of college-educated immigrants, with 3.1 million, or 22% of the total educated immigrant population. Florida, Texas, and New York each host about 1.4 million college-educated immigrants, with these four states accounting for 51% of the total.
Other states with large numbers of educated immigrants include New Jersey (6%), Illinois (4%), and Virginia, Washington, Massachusetts, and Maryland, each with around 3%. These states combined represent another 22% of the total educated immigrant population, according to the MPI report.
Indians speak good English
Many educated immigrants are proficient in English, with 74% reporting that they speak only English or speak English “very well.” This contrasts with the 41% proficiency rate among immigrants without a four-year college degree.
In terms of education, 15% of immigrant college graduates held professional or doctoral degrees, compared to 11% of their US-born peers. Both groups were about equally likely to hold a master’s degree, with 30% of foreign-born and 28% of US-born graduates earning one.