Immigrants and their contributions to the economies of central Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, and Hampton Roads

Immigrants
play a critical role in supporting the economy throughout every region of
Virginia.

Statewide, most immigrants are either
working or looking for work. They
perform a lot of different jobs and keep our state moving forward. They build
and maintain our roads; help our parents when they are sick; and teach our kids
at some of the best universities in the country.  

Foreign-born Virginians are also invested in their
communities and the commonwealth. Close to half a million immigrants are
naturalized citizens, and their ranks have grown more than any other state in
the South Atlantic region.

But this doesn’t mean that all of Virginia’ immigrants are
doing fine. Immigrants were three times more likely to go without health
insurance in 2013 than native born Virginians, and homeownership among
Virginia’s immigrants had one of the largest declines in the country between
2007 and 2013.

That’s a glimpse of the statewide story, but what does it
look like at a local level?

At three summits beginning next week we’ll take a deep dive into how
immigrants impact the local economies of some key regions in the state: central
Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, and Hampton Roads. At these events we’ll release new analysis
and join local voices from
the community to discuss what the latest data tells us about these issues
in our community and in Virginia as a whole. Details on the events are at the
links below.

● Central Virginia: (June 2; Meadowdale Library, Chesterfield; 10
a.m.-Noon)

● The Shenandoah Valley (June 3; Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber
of Commerce; 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.)

● Hampton Roads (June 15, Central Library, Virginia Beach;
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.)

Please register and join us to find out the facts on the
economic contributions of immigrants.

–Jeff Connor Naylor,
Program Director