If we are being honest, the major reason foreigners leave their home country or country of residence is for upward mobility and a better chance at life. If things were good in many countries, many people would prefer to stay in their home country. However, thanks to the blossoming immigration system across the world, many foreign nationals have been able to build a great life, build a sustainable career, and improve economic mobility. Let's see what immigrant success means and why immigrants are more successful.
What is Immigrant Success?
Immigration has always been a bedrock of cultural, economic, and social evolution across the world, thanks to the contributions of immigrants. From popular countries like the United States to Canada, through Australia and beyond, immigrants have played important roles in shaping and creating a new society. Amidst all of this, a common question that often arises is why immigrants are more successful even than native-born citizens. The reasons are quite diverse, ranging from personal goals to resilience and supportive networks.Â
This now shifts us to the question, “What is immigrant success?” Well, immigrant success is relative, and it's important to define what success means in this context. When it comes to immigration, success can take any form, it could be better education exposure for foreign students, international career networking for employment-based immigrants, or having a better earning capacity for immigrant workers. Lots of immigrants and foreign workers face lots of challenges like language differences, job search, getting accustomed to the new environment, and lots more. Still, despite all of that, many manage to succeed in their various fields.Â
A good example of an immigrant's success story is Elon Musk's story. This South African immigrant moved across different countries like India, Canada, and the US and is now the CEO of Tesla. Want to know the best part? He's now the richest man in the world. Aside from the Elon Musk story, there are countless stories across the globe where immigrants excel at anything they do in their host countries.
Factors Contributing to the Success of Immigrants
To answer the question, “Why are immigrants Successful?” It is important to know that there are factors contributing to immigrant success. Here are some of the reasons why immigrants are successful:
1. Resilience and Determination
Whether as a foreign graduate seeking more educational attainment, immigrant children, or immigrant entrepreneur seeking a better social network, one of the defining characteristics of many successful immigrants is their resilience. Look, it is not easy to pack your bag and decide to start your life over in a new place far away from everything you're familiar with. It's worthy of accolades that immigrants choose to make this bold step, which is, of course, driven by a sense of determination and purpose. They know that success won't come on a platter of gold, and they have developed a mindset that enables them to push through the challenges while they put in the work to climb up the economic ladder.
Language barriers, cultural differences, and unfamiliar educational systems will always be barriers to foreign nationals. The bitter truth is that the process is not all rosy but difficult. However, these difficulties and challenges build resilience in immigrants as they quickly adapt to fighting against the odds in their professional and personal lives.
2. High Levels of Education and Ambitions
Many immigrants left their home country with aspirations and ambitions to thrive in their new environment. Likewise, they may arrive with a great skill set and an enviable level of education prowess, so they see their host country as an opportunity to upskill and expand their network. In many cases, immigrants look forward to pursuing higher education to become foreign graduates or gain specialized certifications to increase their options in the job market. The pursuit of education and the desire for self-improvement is one of the reasons why immigrants are more successful. This educational pursuit to learn and grow often leads to landing jobs with great pay, especially in skilled industries technology, engineering, and healthcare.
3. Entrepreneurial Spirit
The thing is, immigrants are more likely to engage in entrepreneurial activities than native-born citizens. This is evident in the data from the Kauffman Foundation. The data shows that immigrants are responsible for quite several new businesses, particularly in the United States. Many immigrants' grant-owned businesses have not only provided economic mobility but also a source of employment for others. Immigrants have the tenacity to grow a business and invest all their energy and money than a non-immigrant would. Their tenacity has contributed to job creation and economic growth in their host country.
Most of the time, the drive to start a business is usually from necessity since many immigrants face challenges securing employment in their home country, especially if their academic credentials are not recognized in their host country. As a result, most of them take the initiative of getting the necessary permits while avoiding immigration issues and starting a business instead. Likewise, willingness to take risks also fosters an entrepreneurial mindset amongst foreign nationals and boosts immigrant businesses.
4. Great Social Network and Community Spirit
Nothing can make one thrive like being in a community or environment that allows it. There's no doubt that the immigrant experience can be isolating, especially when you're not with your family. However, with the provision of strong social networks in their host country and communities, many immigrants find the strength to keep pushing. With a supportive network like some national immigration forums, they've been able to navigate all the challenges the immigrant life has thrown at them. Likewise, these networks have help with housing and job assistance as well as emotional support.
There are community organizations, religious groups, cultural associations, immigrant families, and even immigrant communities that provide a sense of belonging to foreigners. Mentorship is another benefit these groups offer, which can lead to career advancements and broader social networks, which translate to growth.
5. Quick Adaptability and Resourcefulness
Above all immigration systems and policies, immigrants often have a high adaptation capability, which is cultivated as a result of their experience. Many immigrants come from countries with minimal resources, so by immigrating to developed countries, they seek better opportunities. They know where they are coming from and have an idea of what they hope to achieve, which helps them adjust to a new and unfamiliar environment. The ability to navigate different languages, social expectations, and cultural norms is admirable.
Not only that the tenacity to learn key languages and develop cross-cultural communication skills to help them integrate into the workplace and broader society seamlessly is commendable. This adaptability often translates into success in both professional and personal spheres. Their diverse backgrounds and experiences heighten the innovative, creative, and problem-solving capacity of immigrants. This has resulted in immigrants being more flexible and open-minded in their approach to work, making them highly valuable employees and entrepreneurs.
6. Immigration Policies and Opportunities
Not only is the individual immigrant responsible for their success, but the policies of the host country also influence the success of international graduates and immigrant families. Immigrants in countries with welcoming and inclusive policies tend to have a higher rate of success than in countries that don't. For instance, countries like the US, Canada, and Australia have a working and inclusive system in place that gives room for skilled immigrants to thrive.
This system provides immigrants with opportunities to easily adapt and integrate into the labor market while contributing to the country's economy. On the other hand, immigrants in countries with restrictive immigration policies might find it difficult to thrive. However, immigrants with a strong drive in an environment like this can leverage their ambition and overcome all the immigration issues and hurdles thrown at them.
7. Academic and Economic Opportunities of the Host country
The economic strength and opportunities of the host country also play a vital role in the success of immigrants. This is why many immigrants and immigrant families are drawn to countries with booming economies, better infrastructure, work sponsorship options, and good living standards. Likewise, foreign students gravitate towards regions with amazing social networks that are friendly to students. Most times, the economic landscape in the host country is usually better than that of their birth country. That's why many immigrants leverage that to create wealth and a great life for themselves. In many cases, immigrants have taken advantage of opportunities in agriculture, construction, technology, academia, and healthcare while contributing to the economic growth of their respective host countries.Â
Impact of Immigrant Success to Their Communities
Beyond leaving one country for another, either as a temporary or permanent resident, immigration has a broad range of impacts on countries and likewise on the success of each immigrant. The effect of immigrant success has shaped economies, societies, and even international relations, shaping the world as a whole. Here are some of the impacts of immigration success in the environment they find themselves:
1. Inspiring Aspiring Immigrants and New Generations
Thanks to the success stories of the likes of Elon Musk and other successful immigrants across the world, a lot of aspiring immigrants are inspired to push beyond their boundaries. Not only does immigrant success inspire aspiring immigrants, but it also inspires subsequent generations to build on the foundation laid out for them. It's no surprise that second-generation immigrants or children of immigrants even achieve greater feats than first-generation immigrants or immigrant parents. With this success, there's an immense contribution to the development of workforce and entrepreneurship in the host country.
2. Influence on Public Policy
Many public policies have been amended to be more inclusive of foreign nationals due to successful immigrants and foreign workers. Over the years, many successful immigrants have advocated for policies that create an inclusive environment and opportunities for non-citizens while emphasizing the mutual benefits for everyone. The contribution of successful immigrants has challenged the restrictive immigration narratives for immigrant workers and foreign graduates, which highlights the need for balance.
3. Strengthening Global Connections
Thanks to immigrant success, there has been much international collaboration among countries, strengthening their ties. Many immigrants maintained connections with people in their home countries, making it easy to facilitate trade and investment across national borders. These global connections continue to foster innovation and diplomacy, benefiting both countries.
Conclusion
Now you have the answer to why immigrants are more successful. Whether as an employment-based immigrant or a family-based immigrant, the success of immigrants is dependent on various factors. These individual resilience, the sacrifices of immigrant parents, and the ability to recognize opportunities and work with them. Immigrant success is also attached to the economic standing of the host country as well as the immigration policies in place. Immigrants contribute not only to their success but also to the success of the community they are in and the country at large.
