Immigrating into a Recession: Evidence from Family Migrants to the U.S

Toman Barsbai, Andreas Steinmayr and Christoph Winter

Working Papers from Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck

Abstract: We analyze how economic conditions at the time of arrival affect the economic integration of family-sponsored migrants in the U.S. Our identification strategy exploits long waiting times for family-sponsored immigration visas that decouple the migration decision from economic conditions at the time of arrival. A one pp higher unemployment rate at arrival decreases annual wage income by four percent in the short run and two percent in the longer run. The loss in wage income is the result of substantial occupational downgrading, lower hourly wages, and a reduction in working hours. Family migrants who immigrate into a recession draw on migrant and family networks to mitigate the negative labor market effects. As a result, they take up occupations with higher concentrations of fellow countrypeople. They are also more likely to reside with family members, potentially reducing their geographical mobility.

Keywords: Immigrant integration; family reunification; migrant networks; labor market; business cycle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E32 F22 J31 J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 61
Date: 2022-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-int, nep-lab, nep-mac, nep-mig and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Immigrating into a recession: Evidence from family migrants to the U.S (2023)
Working Paper: Immigrating into a Recession: Evidence from Family Migrants to the U.S (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inn:wpaper:2022-01

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