Effects of selection criteria and economic
opportunities on the characteristics of immigrants
by Abdurrahman Aydemir
Family and Labour Studies Division
Analytical Studies Branch research paper
series, No. 182
International migration is a joint outcome of the individual's
desire to migrate and the host country's selection process. First, the potential
migrants apply to a host country, then the host country chooses migrants from
the applicant pool. The theoretical focus of the earlier literature was centred
on the desire to migrate, while the empirical literature focused on the actual
migrants, while migration is the product of these two factors. The objective of
this paper is to identify the components of this two-step, decision-making process
Parameters in the migration model relate directly to policy instruments
such as the points awarded for various characteristics. Given the parameter estimates
of the model and the general analysis of immigration policy, a study of the factors
determining the individual's decision to apply can be done in a way that has not
been possible up until now. Using samples of migrants and non-migrants, the model
is estimated for migration from two different source countries, the United States
and the United Kingdom, to Canada.
For migrants, a newly available longitudinal
data set, the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB), has been used. The richness
of this database, which surveys immigrants to Canada over a long period and contains
information on both their application and subsequent earnings, permits the investigation
of a large range of questions that could not be fruitfully addressed before. Estimation
of the two-step framework provides important insights on the effects of factors,
such as education and income, that help establish this selection process.
View
the article in the Daily about this publication.
View
the full publication.
You need to use the free Adobe Reader to view PDF documents. To view (open) these files, simply click on the link. To download (save) them, right-click on the link. Note that if you are using Internet Explorer or AOL, PDF documents sometimes do not open properly. See Troubleshooting PDFs. PDF documents may not be accessible by some devices. For more information, visit the Adobe website or contact us for assistance.
