^How many wealthy Chinese investors do you think Fairmount and Wolstein have hired for FEB?  How many do you think even moved to Ohio? Yeesh, I get the skepticism, but you have some very strange views about China and immigrants, Erocc.

 

I'm not saying this is happening yet from China,  but I am saying that among other Asian immigrants (including Koreans, Indians, and Middle Easterners) I would not be surprised if it is.  Seriously, what's a convenience store or gas station worth if you own the property?  If it's $100G, then five of them crosses the threshold.

 

It's not really skepticism.  These folks seem to be filling the economic niche that a large number of Jewish people filled during the early part of the 20th century.  Fine by me....especially if they assimilate to the same degree the Jews have.

^I would be surprised if a material share of these visas went to people investing in small retail operations.  And employment of the alien investor or his/her immediate relatives do not count towards the job creation requirements: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=facb83453d4a3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=facb83453d4a3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD

Immigration reform is critical to Cleveland's economic growth: Baiju Shah and Joy Roller

By Plain Dealer guest columnist The Plain Dealer

on February 16, 2013 at 9:05 AM, updated February 16, 2013 at 9:14 AM

 

Immigration reform is today's hot topic. It should be. Reforming U.S. immigration policy will boost Northeast Ohio's economy.

 

The economic contributions of immigrants and their offspring are well-documented. Whether low-skilled or highly educated, immigrants create jobs. In a recent study, the Partnership for a New American Economy found that immigrants or their children launched more than 40 percent of the companies listed on the Fortune 500. These include companies like Apple, Google, General Electric and McDonald's. Immigrants also have a high rate of forming small businesses serving local citizens. These large and small companies create opportunities for everyone in a region.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/02/immigration_reform_is_critical.html

"@dougnagy: @rlsmithpd Hong Kong lost half its population in WW2. Island came roaring back with flood of immigrants"

By ALAIN SHERTER / MONEYWATCH/ September 12, 2013, 9:59 AM

Can immigration speed the economic recovery?

 

(MoneyWatch) Cities and towns across the U.S. struggling to recover from the Great Recession could benefit from a key force for economic renewal: Immigrants.

 

Foreign-born residents, who now account for one in eight Americans, are boosting job growth, raising home prices and more broadly helping to revive thousands of economically distressed communities, according to a new report by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and the Partnership for a New American Economy.

 

"Immigrants are a key part of the American success story at the community level, revitalizing local areas and creating economic growth and jobs for U.S.-born workers," the report said.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57602552/can-immigration-speed-the-economic-recovery/

OK, so mostly about Dayton, but a good story none the less.

 

Ailing Midwestern Cities Extend a Welcoming Hand to Immigrants

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/us/ailing-cities-extend-hand-to-immigrants.html?hp&pagewanted=all&_r=0

OK, so mostly about Dayton, but a good story none the less.

 

Ailing Midwestern Cities Extend a Welcoming Hand to Immigrants

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/us/ailing-cities-extend-hand-to-immigrants.html?hp&pagewanted=all&_r=0

 

I know several people who would dispute the welcoming nature of Midwest cities, or America in general. It is very difficult to come to America these days. If you come on a work visa, you have to get a business to sponsor you which means extra expense for that business as well as opening up that business' books to federal inspection. You could marry your way in to America, but that is a very complicated and paperwork-heavy process to get a fiancee visa. Or you could get into the green card lottery which has only slightly better odds than winning the Ohio Lottery. And when you hear comments by Mayor Jackson saying that he prefers to "take care of our own" rather than accept new immigrants. http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/03/18/frank-jacksons-anit-immigrant-moment If an American can't accomplish both, then it probably cannot do either one very well.

It's a federal law problem more than a local problem. Jackson isn't helpful, but I don't think he's an obstacle.

 

If there was a real challenger to Jackson, he could exploit those comments.

It's a federal law problem more than a local problem. Jackson isn't helpful, but I don't think he's an obstacle.

 

 

No, but Chicago businesses are more friendly in hiring immigrants. They are more willing to eat some of the costs involved. Not sure why they've chosen to do this while Cleveland businesses have not. Perhaps Cleveland could offer some tax credits to businesses that hire immigrants or give them a higher score when applying for small business loans or storefront renovation funding.

It's a federal law problem more than a local problem. Jackson isn't helpful, but I don't think he's an obstacle.

 

 

No, but Chicago businesses are more friendly in hiring immigrants. They are more willing to eat some of the costs involved.

 

Could you provide some more detail behind this?  It's not something I've heard before.

Don't worry, plenty of IT companies in the region are hiring immigrants on H1-B VISA's. Then they complain there aren't enough qualified people to hire. Create a culture that discourages hiring local talent, then act surprised when local talent leaves or chooses other industries.

 

Could you provide some more detail behind this?  It's not something I've heard before.

 

No, I can't. It's only second-hand info from a friend of mine from Ireland who has been trying to get a job in the U.S. His brother got a job in Chicago at a major real estate firm that prefers hiring immigrants and is willing to the eat the costs of doing so. They also have a strong Irish-American Network chapter in Chicago which helps in settling Irish there. I have decided to help get one started here in Cleveland. But that's just one ethnic group. Other networks need to be established. I don't know if that's happened or is happening.

I know some Chinese people who have been successful in getting sponsored. But not many. And my sector, law, is not a market where anyone is eager to eat additional costs right now. I would suspect the situation is not bad for engineers and doctors - I know the local immigration lawyers do a good business doing H1Bs for the hospitals.

 

Could you provide some more detail behind this?  It's not something I've heard before.

 

No, I can't. It's only second-hand info from a friend of mine from Ireland who has been trying to get a job in the U.S. His brother got a job in Chicago at a major real estate firm that prefers hiring immigrants and is willing to the eat the costs of doing so. They also have a strong Irish-American Network chapter in Chicago which helps in settling Irish there. I have decided to help get one started here in Cleveland. But that's just one ethnic group. Other networks need to be established. I don't know if that's happened or is happening.

 

I work in the Chicago technical/white collar world and I suspect that in most cases where immigrants are hired for white collar work it's because they will work for less money.

 

Most immigrants in Chicago do blue collar jobs (with the exception of union/tradesmen positions which are taken by the locals). I don't think Cleveland really needs immigrants to fill its blue collar workforce like Chicago does since it has a lower cost of living. The immigrants in Chicago are filling in the void that was once occupied by working class locals who won't work at the current wage rates. In Cleveland the working class locals can still get by with an acceptable standard of living. Unfortunately Cleveland's working class has moved to the suburbs over the years and left vacant city neighborhoods behind.

It's a federal law problem more than a local problem. Jackson isn't helpful, but I don't think he's an obstacle.

 

The best summation of the Jackson Administration in general I've ever seen. 

 

Even the part about the federal law problem.  The ability of most older cities to fix their own problems is greatly hampered by the feds.

another option of course, is to more aggressively seek and become a haven for immigrants, legal or not. sounds like the mayor is not about that tho.

 

the notion that america is not welcoming to immigrants is far from the truth. they swarm here, its still a favored magnet. a easier way to get some of that immigrant pot of humanity might be to cater to the world's troublespots, ie., establish and promote a syrian neighborhood or some other ethnicity. wouldnt hurt.

 

another option of course, is to more aggressively seek and become a haven for immigrants, legal or not. sounds like the mayor is not about that tho.

 

the notion that america is not welcoming to immigrants is far from the truth. they swarm here, its still a favored magnet. a easier way to get some of that immigrant pot of humanity might be to cater to the world's troublespots, ie., establish and promote a syrian neighborhood or some other ethnicity. wouldnt hurt.

 

 

Largely agree, except for the "legal or not".  Illegal immigration is pretty much a losing proposition for everyone except the immigrants and a few unethical employers. 

 

The promotion would have to come from the ethnic community (in question) itself, though.  Not only will it be more effective, but with the identity-based politics that plagues most large cities, political support is not guaranteed.  To say the least.

Russian Magazine celebrates 20 years serving the Russian community of Greater Cleveland

http://t.co/vpfJQdjetA

America, Eff yeah!!! uhh, err, ummm. - DS

 

 

"Would it surprise you to know that most potential immigrants don't want to come to America? A worldwide poll conducted by Gallup shows that while more than 600 million individuals want to emigrate, the United States is not where most of them want to go.

 

In fact, more than three-quarters of respondents—77 percent—named a country outside the U.S. as their top-choice destination. Often they chose to go somewhere close, but when the sky's the limit, their answers reflect a stark new reality: The U.S. is no longer the default option for ambitious young immigrants, including those trained as engineers, doctors, and other professionals. Paul Feltman is director of Global Talent Bridge initiative, a nonprofit that works to integrate and credential skilled workers from other nations who want to pursue their career in the U.S.

 

Instead, we're competing for their attention and talent. Countries like Canada, Australia, and even Germany are proactively encouraging skilled workers to choose their nations for a new home. These countries often sweeten the pot by offering services to help new arrivals find jobs and become integrated."

 

http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/perspectives/when-skilled-immigrants-have-other-options-20131022

 

 

Instead, we're competing for their attention and talent. Countries like Canada, Australia, and even Germany are proactively encouraging skilled workers to choose their nations for a new home. These countries often sweeten the pot by offering services to help new arrivals find jobs and become integrated."

 

http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/perspectives/when-skilled-immigrants-have-other-options-20131022

 

Canada and Australia even share an advantage we have over the rest of the world:  immigrants can truly, over time, become full fledged members of the nationality. 

 

That “become integrated” part actually becomes controversial here.  It’s considered politically incorrect in some circles to expect immigrants to assimilate.  That attitude only benefits those who seek to create semi-permanent undeclasses they can exploit.

 

Maybe that's because we are proud of our melting pot status.  We don't want our immigrants to lose all of their culture and 'assimilate' into whatever 'Kentucky USA' deems to be 'American culture.'  Immigrants strengthen our society by bringing the strenghts of their own cultures to mix with ours.  Everything melts together.

Maybe that's because we are proud of our melting pot status.  We don't want our immigrants to lose all of their culture and 'assimilate' into whatever 'Kentucky USA' deems to be 'American culture.'  Immigrants strengthen our society by bringing the strenghts of their own cultures to mix with ours.  Everything melts together.

 

That's the ideal, and the way it's been until recently.  It's actually more like a stew pot, you form a base out of all the ingredients, but you still see the ingredients maintaining some identity.  There was a lot of pressure for the true "melting pot" a century ago, particularly from the "Progressives".

 

The problem now is the "salad bowl", when ingredients don't blend in at all.

America, Eff yeah!!! uhh, err, ummm. - DS

 

 

"Would it surprise you to know that most potential immigrants don't want to come to America? A worldwide poll conducted by Gallup shows that while more than 600 million individuals want to emigrate, the United States is not where most of them want to go.

 

In fact, more than three-quarters of respondents—77 percent—named a country outside the U.S. as their top-choice destination. Often they chose to go somewhere close, but when the sky's the limit, their answers reflect a stark new reality: The U.S. is no longer the default option for ambitious young immigrants, including those trained as engineers, doctors, and other professionals. Paul Feltman is director of Global Talent Bridge initiative, a nonprofit that works to integrate and credential skilled workers from other nations who want to pursue their career in the U.S.

 

Instead, we're competing for their attention and talent. Countries like Canada, Australia, and even Germany are proactively encouraging skilled workers to choose their nations for a new home. These countries often sweeten the pot by offering services to help new arrivals find jobs and become integrated."

 

http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-america/perspectives/when-skilled-immigrants-have-other-options-20131022

 

 

 

I wouldn't want to come here either. It is very hard get things done here anymore. Our "Can Do" spirit has faded. There is too much skepticism on trying different things, too much fear of immigrants or the unknown, too many regulations on starting new programs and projects, not enough funding from the public and private sectors for new initiatives.

Welcoming refugees is paying off for Cleveland

 

Robert L. Smith, The Plain Dealer By  Robert L. Smith, The Plain Dealer 

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on October 25, 2013 at 3:20 PM, updated October 25, 2013 at 3:47 PM

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio-- When a series of flights brought him from Katmandu to Cleveland in the fall of 2008, Nar Pradhan was free of a refugee camp for the first time in 17 years. He wasted not a moment.

 

Within weeks, the earnest 27 year old found work at an Indian restaurant and commenced the family enterprise. Later arriving brothers and sisters fanned out across a recession-weary city, stringing together part-time jobs and pooling meager savings.

 

In early 2011, Nar and his siblings bought Flavors of India, the North Olmsted restaurant that had hired him as a dishwasher, and added Nepali flourishes to the menu. Recently, they opened a South Asian grocery on Cleveland's west side, continuing a striking ascent from poverty that is not uncommon for families like theirs.

 

A new study reveals that refugees -- the world's most desperate immigrants -- tend to do well in Cleveland and often out-achieve their U.S.-born neighbors over time.

 

Eye-opening revelations include the fact that refugees are more likely to hold a job than native-born residents and more likely to send their children to college. After two years in Cleveland, researchers found, only 8 percent of refugee households are still receiving public assistance, a level of self-sufficiency that beats national norms.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/10/welcoming_refugees_pays_off_fo.html

Eye-opening revelations include the fact that refugees are more likely to hold a job than native-born residents and more likely to send their children to college. After two years in Cleveland, researchers found, only 8 percent of refugee households are still receiving public assistance, a level of self-sufficiency that beats national norms.

 

As I commented in the story, these are people escaping government misbehavior, they don't have much interest in trusting in "leaders" here.

Buddy, virtually none of our leaders - political, religious, financial, community - are worthy of an ounce of respect these days. And besides, what's your point? These people are not anything like the many parasites and leeches who already live here; they, these immigrants and refugees, deserve a chance at happiness and to contribute to Cleveland's economy while bettering their families' lives.

 

As I commented in the story, these are people escaping government misbehavior, they don't have much interest in trusting in "leaders" here.

 

How are they different from many of our ancestors?

 

As I commented in the story, these are people escaping government misbehavior, they don't have much interest in trusting in "leaders" here.

 

How are they different from many of our ancestors?

 

Not in the least.  That's been my point all along.

 

I'm all in favor of legal, controlled immigration.

 

We'll know we're doing it right when other nations start complaining we are stealing their best people.

^Which language is it that "best people" translates to "wretched refuse"?

^Which language is it that "best people" translates to "wretched refuse"?

 

The one where we don’t forget the part about “yearning to breathe free” or that that was meant in the philosophical rather than the economic sense.

 

Implicit a century ago was the part about having the gumption and drive to get over here.  We’re looking for those sorts of people, not the kind that can’t be bothered to get out of the way of a Category 5 hurricane.

 

We'll know we're doing it right when other nations start complaining we are stealing their best people.[/color]

 

Not sure why you phrase this in the future tense. Other nations have been complaining.  For decades. Just google "India brain drain," "China brain drain," "Africa brain drain," etc. and see all the articles from foreign sources that pop up.

^Which language is it that "best people" translates to "wretched refuse"?

 

The one where we dont forget the part about yearning to breathe free or that that was meant in the philosophical rather than the economic sense.

 

Ahhh..... "tired" and "poor" must've also been simply mentioned in "philosophical" sense.  We didn't actually mean for other countries to send us their tired and poor and huddled masses.  How silly.  It must've been that we only wanted those educated, rich immigrants who wouldn't have to share their weatlh if they brought it here..... as in those "poor" old rich folk who are "tired" of paying taxes and being "huddled" together in the denser cities of Europe or Asia.  They just wanted their estate ranch somewhere down in Texas.

I'm curious to the feasibility of Global Cleveland or any non- profit gettng Filipinos here who are trying to leave the Typhoon devastation?

Global cities are prosperous cities; researchers say Cleveland must welcome the world

By Robert L. Smith, The Plain Dealer

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on November 27, 2013 at 8:15 AM, updated November 27, 2013 at 10:31 AM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio--Cleveland's population crisis burst into the public consciousness with the 2010 census, which revealed the city had lost an astonishing 17 percent of its residents in a decade and dropped to its lowest ebb in 100 years.

 

The census reported another set of facts not so widely discussed. Most major American cities -- even cities associated with growth and new prosperity -- bid adieu to far more people than left Cleveland.

 

In fact, Greater Cleveland lost fewer residents than the metro areas of Columbus, Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston and 33 other regions of the country. For most cities on the rise, salvation came not from keeping established residents but from welcoming new arrivals.

 

More at: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/11/global_cities_are_prosperous_c.html#incart_river_default#incart_m-rpt-2

Very very interesting to see Cleveland's problem is not losing people (32 metros lost more?, but not gaining new people.

^Which metros will be surprising to see.  I didn't think Columbus lost people in their region during the last census, but I guess the report will show the numbers in more detail.

 

Increased immigration is so vitally important to this region it's not even funny.  This region will continue to languish without it.

Cities in the northeast USA and in eastern Canada that are growing because of immigration. It's not some great new innovation or major new companies that are causing the population to grow. It's the welcome mat that's put out for people from around the world. And when they come here, they start businesses and need housing and buy goods and services. That is what is causing those cities to grow. I asked a well-educated friend of mine from Toronto why his city is growing so fast. He answered: immigration. I asked "but what jobs are they coming to fill?" He responded that they are creating their own jobs.

 

So I stumbled across this interesting graphic. I wish it was larger, though....

 

To be clear, I don't think this has as much to do with immigration gains as it does movement within the US

Gr8WaterHouse™ ‏@lanreee 31 Oct

iMPORTANCE OF iMMIGRANTS? Read! Rust Belt cities, like Pittsburgh, trying to lure more immigrants http://pri.org/stories/2013-08-07/rust-belt-cities-pittsburgh-trying-lure-more-immigrants

KJP---from a few posts above---you can make it bigger/zoom into different parts of Cleveland--or anywhere in the US:

 

http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/index.html

KJP---from a few posts above---you can make it bigger/zoom into different parts of Cleveland--or anywhere in the US:

 

http://demographics.coopercenter.org/DotMap/index.html

 

Fantastic. Thanks! I can spend a long time looking at that map. Lots of interesting aspects to it.

Yeah, I like it too. I remembered it instantly when you posted it as I spent a lot of time playing with it when had first learned of it. Its interesting also to compare cities and also to see how segregated places are. In Detroit, e.g., blacks and whites are divided by a clear straight line which I think is the municipal border. Also cool just to see the density of population of the country as a whole.

Interesting idea from Michigan's governor to bring immigrants to Detroit. I would like to see something like this in Cleveland.

http://nation.time.com/2014/01/24/michigan-governor-to-washington-detroit-needs-immigrants/?iid=us-main-lead

I guess I don't understand.  Are there 50,000 positions that are going unfilled that these immigrants are supposed to be filling?

New report on #EB5 visa program maps the geography of regional centers. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/1eTuOXv  pic.twitter.com/f9bdtxD7bK

 

Here's a chance for Cleveland to bring some "immigrants" to town. They're not really immigrants since PR is a US territory, but they'd be new to Cleveland.....

 

urbandata ‏@urbandata  1h

Economy and Crime Spur New Puerto Rican Exodus

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/us/economy-and-crime-spur-new-puerto-rican-exodus.html?referrer= … #demographics #PuertoRico

Cleveland Dutch school welcomes new immigrants and the business they bring

 

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio--Four children, all born in Holland but now immersed in American culture, sat around a table covered with workbooks and papers and maps.

 

Their teacher, who addressed them in Dutch, tailored a lesson to a visitor who had just entered the room. If you were to send this gentleman an email, she asked, would you write it in formal or informal Dutch?

 

"Formeel Nederlands," the children answered as one

 

The teacher smiled. An ethnic community beamed. Greater Cleveland took anther step into the global economy.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/02/cleveland_dutch_school_welcome.html

Here's a chance for Cleveland to bring some "immigrants" to town. They're not really immigrants since PR is a US territory, but they'd be new to Cleveland.....

 

urbandata ‏@urbandata  1h

Economy and Crime Spur New Puerto Rican Exodus

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/us/economy-and-crime-spur-new-puerto-rican-exodus.html?referrer= … #demographics #PuertoRico

 

This is a nice thought, but most will likely migrate to FL first. When my mother and Aunt left PR, their first stop was Miami.  Once they got to Cleveland, and after some drama the others followed.  Also, they seemed to concentrate on the Western portion of the island which has historically been poorer than the San Juan.  PRs main industry is tourism.  Also, until PR is a state, it will separate yet not equal.  The schools are bad.  Taxes are disproportionate as the middle class is overtaxed.  I have second cousins there that work, educated, fluent in English & Spanish but there are no jobs so some have jobs that are beneath their station in life.  My grand parents and uncles both still have their houses there and complain constantly about the electric bills. My grand parents return to PR from Thanksgiving to Easter. My Grandmother was a teacher and my Grandfather worked in the Governors office.  About 50% of the people I know in PR, work for the government or in tourism.  And tourism correlates with the economy.

That isn't surprising. Throughout history, most immigrants arriving in Cleveland stopped in an East Coast port city first. We have to do a better job of telling our story to the immigrants of today: big-city amenities, small-town costs of living.

That isn't surprising. Throughout history, most immigrants arriving in Cleveland stopped in an East Coast port city first. We have to do a better job of telling our story to the immigrants of today: big-city amenities, small-town costs of living.

 

Well most people are going to go from "home" to a place that is a comfort zone and has a similar community.  Cubans, go to S. Florida.  Korean's to LA or Houston.  Pinoy to San Diego.  PR to NYC. Salvadorian, Metro DC.  Dominican's NYC  Colombians S Fl.  You first go where there is a network.

 

My mom first went to Miami Beach because they knew they could a) pass (because they are fair skin) b) blend end in the latino neighborhood although they are PR c) connect to those who help them get part-time jobs when they were not flying.  Although Cleveland has large European communities, their influence helped in the past.  Right now we have decent sized PR, Mexican, Columbian, Cuban and Venezuelan communities, they aren't large enough or hold enough importance to be a first entry point.  Granted, they should be as entering thru S. Fl, Metro DC, NYC, Cali or the SW United States is a pain.