US immigration helps local economies, says expert
May 28 2009 by Liam Clifford
Anne O'Callaghan
Anne O’Callaghan, a US immigration expert and executive director of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, has been touring the US spreading the message that welcoming immigrants with an American visa has boosted Philidelphia’s tax income and economy.
Over the past six years alone, the Welcoming Center, which provides information and tools to help immigrants with a US visa integrate into local communities, has helped boost Philadelphia’s foreign-born population by 113,000, accounting for 11% of the city’s population.
The boost to the population may help to reverse a trend of declining population in the state, thus increasing its chances of prosperity in the future. As more immigrants with an American visa choose areas like Philadelphia, these cities have a far better chance of attracting business investment and improving their economy.
O’Callaghan, who has been a prominent advocate for immigrants for over three decades, has been visiting other cities such as Cleveland, Ohio, to spread the message that providing a welcoming environment for immigrants can help the local area to improve.
She stated, “there is a positive correlation between the number of foreign-born people in a city and how well they're doing economically and in terms of their workforce."
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