Study Goals: Why Study Immigration
in America?
- Immigration has a major impact on American society -- immigration
now accounts for one-third of U.S. population growth.
- In perhaps no other area of public policy is there such a large
gap between information needs and existing data; it is remarkable
that in its more-than-200-year history the U.S. has never had
a nationally representative survey of immigrants and their children.
- Immigration processes and immigration policy continue to be
the subject of much political and scientific debate. What are
the contributions and costs of immigrants to the economy? What
is the relationship between legal and illegal immigration?
- Little is known about the origins of legal immigrants, other
than their countries of birth or last residence. We currently
know little about their pre-immigration labor market experiences
and the ability of immigrants to translate those experiences into
labor market success in this country.
- How many immigrants return to their home country? Which are
the propensities to migrate including their previous stays in
the U.S., and the family networks key to their immigration and
which form the pool for potential immigrants through family reunification?
- What are the factors affecting the assimilation of immigrants
and their children? What are the achievements of, and burdens
imposed by, immigrant children and the children of immigrants?
- Over time, does migration to the U.S. improve the living conditions
& health of migrants, and their children? How does the health
and well-being of immigrants compare to that of the native-born?
The NIS design was motivated by these research questions, and
the main objective is to provide a public use database on new
legal
immigrants to the United States and their children that will be
useful for addressing scientific and policy questions about migration
behavior
and the impacts of migration. The specific aims of the study are:
- To assess the differences that occur within immigrant lifestyles
pre- and post-immigration, and how social networks of families
serve as support, as well as the eventual role of family reunification
in the immigrant experience;
- To evaluate employment situations prior to immigration, as
viewed from the perspectives of labor force participation, occupational
attainment, income determination, and social assimilation before
arriving in the United States. Also of great importance are
employment
and wage differences between native citizens and immigrants;
- To evaluate the assimilation of immigrants in the American
society, as well as their children;
- To examine the schooling of immigrants, in areas covering the
quality of schooling, language instruction, and grade repetition,
through
such means as child assessments and testing;
- To compare a large component of the NIS survey instruments
with comparable instruments used in the major U.S. longitudinal
surveys,
thus facilitating comparisons of immigrants and the native-born;
- To examine the transition from temporary to permanent citizenship,
including the process of finding a home and becoming financially
successful; and,
- To compare the health and wellbeing of immigrants with native
citizens, in terms of child-rearing as well as individual health.
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