Determinants of Transnationalism among New Legal Immigrants in the United States

Saheli Datta, Syracuse University

The transnational field is significant not only for immigrant sending countries but also for immigrant receiving countries like the United States, since it affects the ways immigrants incorporate themselves in the host society and interact with their home communities. This paper analyzes the determinants of transnational engagement among adult immigrants newly admitted to legal permanent residence in the United States. No one particular set of explanatory factors – demographic, incorporation or resource variables – is found to have a greater impact on explaining variance in transnationalism over the others. Yet, the results present a clear picture of which immigrants are most likely to engage in transnational practices: older male immigrants who are employed and proficient in English are most likely to own property abroad and file a petition to sponsor relatives to the United States.