Immigrants have played a key role in building the United States’ economy and major global companies, according to a Forbes report released ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary.

The report highlighted prominent immigrant entrepreneurs and executives, including Google cofounder Sergey Brin and AMD chief executive Lisa Su, as examples of individuals who helped shape American business and technology.

It cited research suggesting US economic growth between 1990 and 2016 would have been significantly lower without immigration, according to Citi Research.

However, the report noted that recent changes in US immigration policy are making it harder for skilled workers to follow similar paths.

Industry leaders have warned that tighter visa rules could limit future innovation and talent inflows.

Tech executives, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, have previously said that stricter H-1B visa rules could have prevented their families from moving to the United States.

The report comes as debate continues in the US over immigration, economic growth, and labour shortages in key industries.