Abstract
Despite impassioned debates about immigration reform brewing in the U.S. government, researchers know remarkably little about how immigration policy shapes migration behavior. There is still much to learn about the composition of specific classes of admission, how long migrants stay in the United States, and the legal channels they follow to permanent residency or emigration. This paper takes a life course perspective on skilled migration to examine the micro-level processes and various pathways that lead to permanent settlement and emigration, and identifies legal status transitions as a key sorting mechanism in processes of immigrant selection. I find that migrants who successfully underwent a previous legal status transition were more likely to pursue permanent residence, but also saw a wider array of avenues to obtain a green card. The mismatch in some migrants' permanent settlement intentions and temporary legal status can lead to feelings of alienation and frustration in the immigration system and the U.S. labor market, driving some to emigrate or seek channels outside of the skilled migration program to procure a green card. The findings of this paper deepen our understanding of the processes that shape selection effects among immigrants and highlight the need for more robust and granular longitudinal data on legal status indicators.
Highlights
American politics has been gridlocked by debates over immigration reform for the better part of the last 40 years
Taking a life-course perspective on skilled migration, this paper illuminates the micro-level processes and various pathways that lead to permanent settlement and emigration, and identifies legal status transitions as a key sorting mechanism in immigrant selection
I examine whether a skilled migrant pursues a green card, and whether they pursue it through channels of skilled migration or family reunification
Summary
American politics has been gridlocked by debates over immigration reform for the better part of the last 40 years. Researchers know remarkably little about how immigration policy shapes the composition of specific classes of admission, how long migrants stay in the United States, and the legal pathways they follow to permanent residency or emigration. Taking a life-course perspective on skilled migration, this paper offers a micro-level examination into how skilled migrants navigate the U.S immigration system and undergo legal status transitions. The expansion of skills-based visa programs has contributed to the significant growth of skilled migration to the United States in the past three decades. The H-1B visa is the largest skilled work program in the United States and has had the greatest impact on the composition and recruitment of skilled foreign workers (Alba and Foner, 2015; Chakravorty et al, 2016). The legal status of H-1B workers is directly tied to their employer
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