Citizen Gain
The Economic Benefits of Naturalization for Immigrants and the Economy 
    C    E    N    T    E    R    F    O    R    T    H    E    S    T    U    D    Y    O    F    I    M    M    I    G    R    A    N    T    I    N    T    E    G    R    A    T    I    O    N
CSII
Manuel Pastor & Justin Scoggins
December 2012
      C
     E
      N
       T
      E
      R
 
          F
      O
        R
 
       T
     H
     E
 
   S
    T
   U
  D
  Y
 
 O
F
 
I 
M 
M  
I   
G   
R   
A    
N    
T       
 
I                 
N      
 T  
 E  
  G
  R 
   A
  T 
 I  
   O
   N
•
 
C
S
I
I
 
•
University ofSouthern California
 
About CSII
The Center for the Study of Immigrant Integraon’s (CSII) mission is to remake the narrave for understanding, and the dialogue for shaping, immigrant integraon in America. CSII brings together three emphases: scholarship that draws on academic theory and rigorous research; data that provides informaon structured to highlight the process of immigrant integraon over me; and engagement that seeks to create new dialogues with government, community organizers, business and civic leaders, immigrants and the vong public. Visit us at: hp://csii.usc.edu
 
Acknowledgements
We thank the John S. and James L. Knight Foundaon for their support of this project as well as the Carnegie Corporaon of New York for funding some of the early analycal work on which this eort builds. Special thanks to Michael Fix of the Migraon Policy Instute for helpful suggesons on the methods and CASA de Maryland and Catholic Legal Immigraon Network, Inc. (CLINIC) for their help idenfying nancial barriers to naturalizaon. Last but not least, thanks to Louisa Holmes, Anthony Perez, and Vanessa Carter for their assistance with research and wring. All opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reect the views of our funders or the University of Southern California.
Photography on cover provided by:
Top: freefotoukBoom: John Sco
In Pr
B
 
Es
 
I
 
N
 
Te
 
R
 
Contents
Introduction 1 Previous Research on the Economic 1 
Benets of Naturalization Why Might Naturalization Have
1 
Economic Benets? Previous Estimates of the 2
 
Economic Benets of Naturalization
 
Estimating the Returns to Naturalization 4
 Describing the Data and Basic
4
 Methods
Simple Differences Analysis: Size and 5
 
Economic Characteristics of the Naturalized and Non-Citizen Immigrant Population Adjusted Differences Analysis: 10
 
Regression Results What About the Undocumented?
11 
Results from California How Long Does It Take for Benets to 13
 
Materialize? Potential Economic Impact of 16
 
Immigrant Naturalization Implications for Policy and Practice 20
 
Nurturing Naturalization 22
 
Technical Appendix 24
 
References 27
roduction 1evious Research on the Economic 1
nets of Naturalization Why Might Naturalization Have 1
 
Economic Benets? Previous Estimates of the 2
 
Economic Benets of Naturalizationtimating the Returns to Naturalization 4
 
Describing the Data and Basic 4
Methods
Simple Differences Analysis: Size and 5 Economic Characteristics of the Naturalized and Non-Citizen Immigrant Population Adjusted Differences Analysis: 10
 
Regression Results What About the Undocumented? 11
 
Results from California How Long Does It Take for Benets to 13 Materialize? Potential Economic Impact of 16
 
Immigrant Naturalization plications for Policy and Practice 20rturing Naturalization 22chnical Appendix 24ferences 27
View on Scribd