Match quality and divorce among naturalized U.S. citizens

Abstract

AbstractThis research investigates the relationship between immigrants' current citizenship status, an observed measure of permanent legal status in the United States, and their likelihood of divorce. Using American Community Survey data, the research examines relatively young immigrants entering their first marriages in the United States as noncitizens. The study finds those who become naturalized U.S. citizens are at least 25% more likely to be divorced than comparable immigrants who remain noncitizens. The work explores whether immigrants with temporary visas value finding naturalized spouses in the marriage market. If so, the small resulting pool of potential spouses may increase the marginal cost of finding new partners at increasing compatibility levels. The immigrants' reservation match quality would then decrease, potentially resulting in suboptimal sorting along other partner compatibility dimensions. If the immigrants establish permanent residency after marriage, their unions might become less stable as the other compatibility characteristics become more important.