Legally ever after: How did 1986 immigration reform affect marriage?

Aaron Gamino

JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, 2023, vol. 89, issue 4, 569-585

Abstract: This paper is the first to study the effects of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 on marriage rates between foreign-born individuals and natural-born citizens. Using marriage license data, I find that gains to marriages involving a native bride and foreign groom decrease by 0.2 log points. The decrease in is driven by reductions in gains to marriages involving a Mexican groom or a non-Canadian, non-Mexican groom. I do not find evidence that the effects differed for states with lower educational attainment or higher shares of illegal immigrants.

Keywords: Amnesty; Immigration; IRCA; Marriage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J12 J15 K37 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-12-01
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Journal Article: Legally ever after: How did 1986 immigration reform affect marriage? (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ctl:louvde:v:89:y:2023:i:4:p:569-585

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