Higher Education and Immigration Pathways in the Us: Strengthening the Workforce and the Economy

From restrictive regulations to limited post-graduation employment-based pathways, globally mobile students encounter a variety of challenges accessing the workforce. Yet, they are considered to be a highly sought after future labor pool that can bolster a nation’s workforce and economy. This book brings together scholars in various fields to examine the migration and immigration dimensions of the globally mobile student experience, and to expand understanding of this population in theory and practice. Drawing upon an array of empirical research approaches, this timely book highlights scholarship exploring the lived experiences of international students, refugee/asylee, and undocumented students in accessing higher education and post-graduation employment. As highly resourceful individuals, these students have exercised their agency to persevere in their career paths, despite the hurdles. This edited collection is a call to reimagine higher education access and pathways to the workforce in an unprecedented tide of human movement.

Anita Gopal is a higher education and political science expert and an alumni of American University, Washington, DC. USA.