Steps to Success: Integrating Immigrant Professionals in the United States

Steps to Success provides a "first-of-its-kind" analysis of the experiences of college-educated immigrants who earned their degrees abroad.  

The U.S. is home to some 3.7 million such immigrants, many of whom are either unemployed or underemployed in low-wage jobs. Based on an online survey with 4,002 respondents, as well as an innovative audio survey of 5,000 immigrant radio listeners, the study drew samples from six cities: Boston, Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia, San Jose, and Seattle.  The researchers attempted to identify the factors most strongly associated with professional success in the U.S.  They found a "remarkably powerful correlation" between an immigrant's self-reported social network and the ability to earn a salary of at least $50,000 per year - the measure used to define "earnings success" in this study. Moreover, English-speaking ability was also strongly predictive of positive integration outcomes, as was the ability to get formal recognition, whether full or partial, for foreign credentials. Those immigrants who were able to buttress their foreign degrees with some form of higher education in the United States, even if just "short-term ‘Made in America' supplements," also did better in the U.S. job market.  Finally, the report looks at the characteristics of the immigrant professional populations in each of the six cities and concludes with a series of recommendations for service providers, funders, and policymaker. (Abstract courtesy Nicholas Montalto, PhD.)

Download it here or view it online.