Determinants of refugee naturalization in the United States.

ABSTRACT: The United States operates the world's largest refugee resettlement program. However, there is almost no systematic evidence on whether refugees successfully integrate into American society over the long run. We address this gap by drawing on linked administrative data to directly measure a long-term integration outcome: naturalization rates. Assessing the full population of refugees resettled between 2000 and 2010, we find that refugees naturalize at high rates: 66% achieved citizenship by 2015. This rate is substantially higher than among other immigrants who became eligible for citizenship during the same period. We also find significant heterogeneity in naturalization rates. Consistent with the literature on immigration more generally, sociodemographic characteristics condition the lik

SUBMITTER: Mossaad N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6140527 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature