Refugee Transition to Legal Permanent Resident Status: Characteristics and Timing

Kelly J. Jefferys, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
John F. Simanski, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

This study will utilize data matching to analyze the characteristics of refugees who transition to legal permanent resident (LPR) status and the timing of that transition. The results will further our understanding of the refugee adaptation process and improve immigrant population estimates. Data on refugee arrivals are obtained from the Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS) of the Department of State. Data on refugee adjustments of status are obtained from the Computer Linked Application Information Management System (CLAIMS) of the Department of Homeland Security. Alien number, a unique identifier included in both datasets, will be used to match individual cases. This study will use logistic regression to analyze the probability of adjustment to LPR status of refugees who arrived from 2001 to 2005 by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics (nationality, education, state of intended residence, age, gender, marital status, etc.) and time in the United States.