The huge potential of Iranians living abroad

The potential of Iranian immigrants is an emerging reality and asset, which has to be properly harnessed and utilized in order to ensure a vibrant and competitive future, equipped to navigate the challenges of the day.

While the common polemic in mainstream debates has always been about brain drain, the brainpower of the great legion of highly skilled professionals with a potential to enhance innovation and drive economic growth in the face of sanctions has mostly been unappreciated.

Immigration has become a defining feature of Iranian society, significantly shaping its demographic landscape, economy, and cultural fabric. As the country grapples with the fallout of protracted sanctions and declining birth rates, the role of its diaspora in Iran’s future becomes even more critical.

The 2021 report of the Islamic Parliament Research Center of Iran has underlined the strengthening of scientific, economic and cultural connections of Iranians abroad with the motherland as a policy goal in securing national interests.

Article 105 of the 6th five-year economic, social and cultural development plan of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes the necessity of comprehensively supporting the rights of Iranians abroad and securing their participation in the development and progress of the country.

Also, the general policies of the 4th, 5th, and 6th development plans on population, science and technology have addressed the issue of leveraging the potential of Iranian immigrants.

Their components include supporting the rights of Iranians abroad, tapping their economic capacities, benefiting from their cultural capacities and paving the way for their scientific participation.    

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has always held a supportive view towards Iranian immigrants. Many times in his statements, he has stressed the need to avoid viewing immigrants through a deficit lens, and instead foster their economic and political bonds with the motherland.

Still, the drive to unlock the full potential of the Iranian diaspora and harness their talents for development and growth has led to a backlog of plans and ideas.

Estimates of Iranian immigrants range from four million to 10 million people. In 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran published statistics which showed 4,037,258 Iranians were living abroad.

The United States has been hosting slightly more than 30 percent of all Iranians abroad as of 2019, according to the United Nations—with significant numbers also in Canada and throughout Europe.

Between 2019 and the third quarter of 2022, Canada and the UK issued more than 2,000 startup, entrepreneurship, investment or self-employment visas to Iranians applying for work immigration. Also, in the last 12 years, educated Iranian immigrants have received an average of 12,000 temporary or permanent residence visas in America, Canada, Australia, England and the European Union.

In terms of the number of unicorns - privately held startup companies with a valuation exceeding $1 billion - established in the US, Iranians were ranked the 10th among immigrants.  

The 2018 US census showed 29,000 Iranians engaged in the country's healthcare sector, including 24,000 in specialized occupations and 5,000 in care professions. Among them there were 8,000 doctors and surgeons, who accounted for 26% of Iranian professionals in the American health sector.

The most popular immigration destination for Iranians, however, is Turkey. Between 2020 and 2021, they were the first investors in the country’s real estate, during which they also set up 1,661 companies.  

In 2011, Iranians reportedly invested about $400 billion in the US, which is almost equivalent to Iran's gross domestic product. These figures show the enormous economic potential of Iranian immigrants.

The dynamic and wealth of highly skilled Iranian immigrants can significantly improve Iran's economy.

They can be a source of transformation and innovation in investment, influx of foreign exchange, tourism, transfer of knowledge and technology, improvement of management and administration, and establishing links with international markets.

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