Skin Color Bias in the Immigration Process: A Multi-Methods Approach

• Main Author: Hendricks, Sarah E
• Published: Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange 2008
• Subjects: Sociology
• Online Access: http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/382

This study looks at the intersection of the literature on immigration and on phenotype and life chances. As immigrant populations in the United States have shifted from European countries of origin to Latin American and Asian countries of origin in recent decades, the phenotype of these populations of immigrants is increasingly distinct from the privileged mainstream U.S. population with European origins. Do darker shades of skin color lead to correspondingly different experiences in the United States immigration system? This study uses data from the New Immigrant Survey 2003 to explore the relationship between skin color and the duration of the legal permanent residency application process. The findings are supplemented by interviews with immigrants and agencies, providing a more nuanced understanding of the variety of experiences within the immigration process.