Immigration Policy, National Origin, and Immigrant Skills: A Comparison of Canada and the United States / George J. Borjas.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Borjas, George J.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w3691.

NBER working paper series no. w3691

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Immigration Policy, National Origin, and Immigrant Skills

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 1991.

Summary:

Over 12 million persons migrated to Canada or the United States between 1959 and 1981. Beginning in the mid?1960s, the immigration policies of the two countries began to diverge considerably: the United States stressing family reunification and Canada stressing skills. This paper shows that the point system used by Canada generated, on average, a more skilled immigrant flow than that which entered the United States. This skill gap, however, is mostly attributable to differences in the national origin mix of the immigrant flows admitted by the two countries. In effect, the point system "works" because it alters the national origin mix of immigrant flows, and not because it generates a more skilled immigrant flow from a given source country.

Notes:

Print version record

April 1991.