Who do we want to be as a region? What values do we hold at our core to drive us forward to the future we want? How do we maintain a competitive advantage with peer cities and regions?  

We want to be a region that is intentional in its welcoming of newcomers and that embeds practices of belonging in how we build our economy, strengthen our neighborhoods, and tell the story of who we are. We know that immigrants are integral to our communities, and welcoming immigrants should be a strategic imperative to grow the region. Immigrants start businesses, fill critical roles across industries, and bring skills, languages, and global networks that strengthen the competitiveness of our employers and institutions. 

Here is one example of how welcoming immigrants and international students can create a competitive advantage for our region: 

Entrepreneurship: From Main Street to Tech Startups

Immigrants and international students are more likely than US-born neighbors to start businesses at all scales and create jobs. In 2023, immigrants started nearly 1 in 5 new businesses. From Main Street businesses that add vibrancy to our neighborhoods to cutting-edge tech and life science startups, immigrant and international student entrepreneurs are creating jobs and filling crucial workforce needs. 

To note, more than half of ‘unicorn’ businesses—or those valued at greater than $1 billion USD— have immigrant founders, while these companies have created hundreds of thousands of jobs over the past decade.  This jumps to nearly two-thirds (64%) of American billion-dollar companies (unicorns) that were founded or cofounded by immigrants or the children of immigrants. A quarter (25%) of unicorn startups are founded by international students.  

Why does this matter? We have strong assets in place to continue to attract and grow as a hub for talent and innovation. Consider that Ohio is in the top ten (#9) for welcoming international students, with the University of Cincinnati driving international student attraction. Add to that, UC is more likely than Ivy League universities to produce unicorn startups. We know that international students boost innovation through filling workforce needs, and they also found firms in critical industries- advanced manufacturing, life sciences, technology, and business services. We have a strong, robust startup ecosystem in the region, from Cintrifuse and CincyTech to 1819 Innovation Hub, SparkHaus, and LifeSCiKY in Covington. 

Immigrants and international students make up a crucial pipeline for STEM fields as founders of companies and jobseekers filling crucial jobs. Immigrants in the region make up 12% of all STEM jobs, and 48% of immigrants have a bachelor’s degree or higher. For International students, they make up almost half of STEM master's degrees and 57% of STEM doctoral degrees, proving to be a crucial pipeline of talent. 

While there are national policies we can address and leverage (for example, expansion of H-1B, investor visas, O visas, and other visa pathways), there are state and local programs we can implement to leverage the assets already here in the region (like the Global EIR program and international student retention).  A National Foundation for American Policy analysis calculates that a national 10% increase in international graduate students for ten years would yield nearly 140,000 additional patents, or approximately $50 billion in value added to the U.S. economy. That does not consider indirect benefits from the patents or other economic contributions made by international graduate students. Think of what that growth could look like regionally? 

We need to welcome immigrants and international students and not turn them away. The fewer immigrants that stay in the region, the fewer startup companies, including the type of cutting-edge companies that transform industries, employ many U.S. workers, and make us all proud. 

Greater global connectivity and regional competitiveness

Immigrants bring international networks, multilingual capacity, and cultural fluency that help cities compete for foreign direct investment, export growth, and global partnerships. Cities that are known as welcoming are also more attractive to multinational employers, international students, and highly skilled professionals—strengthening innovation and long-term growth. 

Stronger talent pipeline and workforce stability 

Welcoming cities attract and retain working-age residents—especially in sectors facing chronic shortages (healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, hospitality, construction, and tech). Immigrants also help stabilize population decline, which directly impacts a city’s tax base, school enrollment, and long-term economic capacity. 

A Point About Public Opinion  

We want to live in a region and country where we feel safe going to and from work, where we do not have to worry about whether our family members or neighbors will be there when we get back home or if they will be in school the next day.  We want to celebrate each other and welcome each other with dignity. We are starting to see a shift. Yes, people want security, but many feel current tactics have gone too far. Yes, people want strong borders, but a majority also want to maintain pathways for asylum seekers and those seeking employment and family-based visas. A majority are uncomfortable with where policies are heading. What this shows is that people want a sensible, ethical, and humane immigration system that also helps strengthen and grow our economies. 

Let’s commit to a vision of the Cincinnati region as a place where every person—regardless of where they were born—can put down roots, pursue opportunity, and fully belong because a welcoming region is not only more just. It is more resilient, more prosperous, and better prepared for the future.