The New Eastern European Immigrants: Evidence from the 2000s

Mihaela Robila, Queens College

Immigration to the U.S. has experienced a phenomenal increase in the last decades. Following the fall of the "iron curtain" in the 1980s, Eastern European (EE) countries have allowed their residents to emigrate. Therefore, the number of EE immigrants in the U.S. increased considerably. Using the data from 2002-2004 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey, the study examined EE immigrants’ human capital and their adaptation to U.S. Results indicate that there is a wide diversity among EE immigrants. Those coming from Czech/Slovakia, Hungary and Romania present higher levels of education and income than those coming from Yugoslavia. Many of the people coming from Yugoslavia are refugees while the other EE groups are coming on job-sponsored visa which requires high education. In a multivariate framework, we will estimate the effects of the several factors (e.g., home country) on adaptation simultaneously. The study calls for more research on these immigrant groups.