This project will examine the labor force integration and occupational mobility of those illegal immigrants who became legalized aliens through the provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). Using the 1989 Legalized Population Survey (LPS-1) and the 1992 Legalized Population Follow-up Survey (LPS-2) the investigators will examine how immigrants are integrated into the society, particularly into the labor force. They will compare their situation over time: when they first arrive, just prior to application for legalization and five years after application for regularization of their status. They focus on the extent to which they experience occupational mobility and how their integration differs by gender, region of residence in the US and country of origin. A major hypothesis of this research is that the migration experience differs significantly for women and men. The investigators draw on existing theories of immigrant integration and gender inequality, and occupational status attainment to explain the source of the differences.
The specific aims of the proposed research are to: 1) examine the integration of the immigrant women and men before and after application for legalization and the extent to which this varies by gender, place of residence and country or region of origin; 2) examine the effects of legalization on occupational status and mobility by gender, region of residence and country or region of origin, controlling for available cultural and human capital variables; and 3) examine the variations in the posited illegality tax on earnings by gender and other relevant cultural and human capital variables to test those migration models that assume such a tax.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD034571-02
Application #
2674025
Study Section
Social Sciences and Population Study Section (SSP)
Project Start
1997-08-01
Project End
2000-07-31
Budget Start
1998-08-01
Budget End
2000-07-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Fordham University
Department
Social Sciences
Type
Other Domestic Higher Education
DUNS #
City
Bronx
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10458