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. 2022 Dec 29:7:100146.
doi: 10.1016/j.jmh.2022.100146. eCollection 2023.

On the basis of visa type: Insights into incorporation and health among foreign-born people in the United States

Alicia Dunajcik  1 , Solveig Argeseanu Cunningham  1   2
Affiliations

On the basis of visa type: Insights into incorporation and health among foreign-born people in the United States

Alicia Dunajcik et al. J Migr Health. .

Abstract

Foreign-born people have different patterns of health, and several psychosocial and contextual factors may contribute to these differences. Type of visa with which one resettles is an important consideration because it is linked both with the reason for initially migrating and with experiences after arriving in the U.S. This study examines the association between visa type and health in terms of self-rated health and diagnosed chronic conditions. Using the New Immigrant Survey (NIS), a nationally representative study of foreign-born people at the time of receiving legal permanent residence in the U.S., we used logistic regression models to estimate the odds of having chronic conditions and the odds of reporting fair or poor health. People who had refugee, asylum, parole and post-arrival legalization visa types had the highest prevalence of any chronic condition; they were also most likely to report being in fair or poor self-rated health, even after controlling for other characteristics. Conversely, people who had diversity visas had the highest self-rated health and the fewest chronic conditions. Overall, the type of visa a person holds is associated with health and chronic disease even years after resettlement.

Keywords: Chronic conditions; Diversity; Employment; Health; Incorporation; Migration; Refugee; Visa type.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
Visa type entails different experiences of migration and resettlementa. aPre-migration experiences: Country = country of origin, Education = years of school and accompanying degrees, Job skills/Occupation = job(s) and on the job training, Marriage/Family status = spouse and one's relationship to a U.S. citizen, Access/Urbanicity = international connections, urban residence, and information on visa opportunities. Migration experiences: Time of Arrival = the year one first arrived in the U.S. Resettlement experiences: Occupation = job(s) and training, Health care = access to facilities and insurance, Family = family members providing social/financial support, Resources = social programs available to certain people or a community.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Prevalence of at least one health condition and self-assessed overall health of foreign-born people at the point of receiving Legal Permanent Residence in the U.S. A. Prevalence of Chronic Conditions by Visa Type B. Percentage Rating Self-Rated Health at Each Level by Visa Type.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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