Prior U.S. Residence Among Mexican Immigrants

From a survey of legal Mexican immigrants to the U.S. in late 1973 and early 1974, over 60 percent of the sample report having previously lived in the United States for some time. This suggests the modal path of legal immigration begins with an illegal stay in the U.S. which often makes possible legal entry. Return-immigrants to the U.S. (legal immigrants with prior U.S. residence) have lower socioeconomic origins, educational attainment, and occupational levels than first-time immigrants. While part of the lower occupational attainment of return-immigrants is due to their poorer social origins and educational attainment, most of it can be attributed to their prior residence in the U.S. This effect is interpreted as a measure of the occupational discrimination that was encountered during their prior residence in the United States.