Economic Opportunity

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Local shops and services that provide for everyday needs are cornerstones of thriving communities, and foreign-born Virginians play an important...

Pillars of Our Prosperity Virginia’s immigrants are diverse, growing in number, and are major contributors to our state’s economy. Immigrants...

Key proposed changes to the enacted budget, Ch. 780 click image for pdf...

In Virginia, “Main Street” businesses – the local shops and services that provide for a variety of everyday needs and that generally have a physical storefront – are cornerstones of thriving communities and immigrants play an important role in starting and maintaining these businesses.

Northern Virginia’s 671,000 immigrants are a critical component of the region’s economic strength and an integral part of family life and communities. Foreign-born Virginians make up 26 percent of the region’s residents, twice the rate as in Virginia or the United States as a whole.

African-American and immigrant communities in Virginia share many challenges, and there are critical policy solutions that could improve the lives of both immigrant and African-American Virginians. This report explores some of these challenges and solutions, focusing on residential segregation, schools that too often fail to meet the needs of all students, employment challenges for adults without high school diplomas, low wages for many workers, lack of health insurance and culturally competent health care, significant caretaking responsibilities without the benefit of paid sick leave and family leave, and harsher punishment in the criminal justice system.

There are finally more jobs in Virginia than before the recession started eight years ago. Today, workers in high-wage occupations, certain industries such as education and health services, and several of Virginia’s larger communities are better off than before the recession.

WTVR-6 Two legislators from Northern Virginia want the state to provide driver’s licenses to qualified immigrants living in...