Report: Legal, cultural barriers make hiring international students a challenge in St. Louis

Hanging on to more international students they graduate from university could help large companies grow in St. Louis, but an obstacle course of legal and cultural hurdles often stand in the way.

That’s a key takeaway from a new report from researchers at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) and the St. Louis Mosaic Project, an organization that aims to make the region the fastest growing metro area for immigrants by 2020.

“We have great education in our local universities that international students are experiencing,” said Jennifer Morton, a co-author of the report. “What a shame it is not to welcome that talent that we cultivate into our workforce community. Instead, we’re sending that talent often times not even to that person’s country of origin, but to other cities in the U.S. where these individuals can find employment.”

Read full article here.