Undocumented to Naturalized: How Legal Status Affects Immigrant Employment Histories

Leila Rodriguez, Pennsylvania State University

This paper analyzes the effect of legal status on employment transitions among Nicaraguan immigrants in the United States. In receiving countries, turnover can be indicative of how immigrants adjust economically and socially to their new societies, and their impact on a society’s economic growth. The entry status of immigrants, and subsequent changes to it, can impact the types of jobs available to them, and their rates of transition between them. Event history analyses are conducted to understand the effect of legal status on the hazard rate of employment transitions. Expected results include lower rates of transitioning while immigrants are undocumented, given the smaller number of potential employers. As migration statuses are legalized, transitions are expected to increase, as well as the diversity of jobs being transitioned to.