DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38061
title: The New Immigrant Survey Round 2 (NIS-2003-2), United States, 2007-2009 [Public and Restricted-Use Version 1]
title: Archival Version

description: The New Immigrant Survey (NIS) was a nationally representative, longitudinal study of new legal immigrants to the United States and their children. The sampling frame was based on the electronic administrative records compiled for new legal permanent residents (LPRs) by the U.S. government (via, formerly, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and now its successor agencies, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS)). The sample was drawn from new legal immigrants during May through November of 2003. The geographic sampling design took advantage of the natural clustering of immigrants. It included all top 85 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and all top 38 counties, plus a random sample of MSAs and counties. The baseline survey (ICPSR 38031) was conducted from June 2003 to June 2004 and yielded data on:

8,573 Adult Sample respondents,
810 sponsor-parents of the Sampled Child,
4,915 spouses,
and 1,072 children aged 8-12.

This study contains the follow-up interview, conducted from June 2007 to October 2009, and yielded data on:

3,902 Adult Sample respondents,
351 sponsor-parents of the Sampled Child,
1,771 spouses,
and 41 now-adult main children.
Interviews were conducted in the respondents' language of choice. Round 2 instruments were designed to track changes from the baseline and also included new questions. As with the Round 1 questionnaire, questions that were used in social-demographic-migration surveys around the world as well as the major U.S. longitudinal surveys were reviewed in order to achieve comparability. The NIS content includes the following information: demographics, health and insurance, migration history, living conditions, transfers, employment history, income, assets, social networks, religion, housing environment, and child assessment tests.
description: The purpose of The New Immigrant Survey (NIS) was to obtain a general overview of the population of legal immigrants to the United States. Aims of the study included assessing changes in immigrants' lifestyles, evaluating employment situations and societal assimilations, and examining the education of immigrants and their transition towards permanent citizenship.
description: HEALTH MEASURES: self-reports of conditions, symptoms, functional status, hygienic behaviors (e.g., smoking and drinking history), use/source/costs of health care services, depression, pain;
BACKGROUND: Childhood history and living conditions, education, migration history, marital history, military history, fertility history, language skills, employment history in the U.S. and in foreign countries, social networks, religion;
FAMILY: rosters of all children; for each, demographic attributes, summary indicators of childhood and current health, education, language ability, current work status, migration. Parent and sibling information;
TRANSFERS: financial assistance given/received to/from respondent from/to relatives, friends, employer;
ECONOMIC: sources and amounts of income, including wages, pensions, and government subsidies; type, value of assets and debts; 
HOUSING ENVIRONMENT: type, ownership of consumer durables
description: DS126 and DS127, Adult Sample Combined Weights, contain sampling, nonresponse, and combined weights for the Adult Sample data. Datasets are identical; weights have been made available for both public-use and restricted-use data.
description: Response Rates: The Round 2 Adult Sample response rate was 46.1%.
description: The sampling frame consists of new-arrival immigrants - immigrants arriving in the United States with immigrant documents acquired abroad - and adjustee immigrants - immigrants who are already in the United States with a temporary nonimmigrant visa and adjust to lawful permanent residence. The Adult and Child Samples are defined in terms of immigration category and age. The Adult Sample covers all immigrants who are 18 years of age or older at admission to the Lawful Permanent Residence (LPR) program. The Child Sample covers immigrants with child-of-U.S.-citizen visas who are under 18 years of age and adopted orphans under five years of age.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Adult Sample Section Roster Public-Use Data
DS2: Adult Sample Section A Demographics Public-Use Data
DS3: Adult Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences Public-Use Data
DS4: Adult Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS5: Adult Sample Section C Employment Public-Use Data
DS6: Adult Sample Section C Employment (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS7: Adult Sample Section D Health Public-Use Data
DS8: Adult Sample Section E Health and Life Insurance Public-Use Data
DS9: Adult Sample Section F Health Care Utilization and Daily Activities Public-Use Data
DS10: Adult Sample Section G Income Public-Use Data
DS11: Adult Sample Section G Income (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS12: Adult Sample Section H Assets Public-Use Data
DS13: Adult Sample Section H Assets (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS14: Adult Sample Section P Housing Public-Use Data
DS15: Adult Sample Section P Housing (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS16: Adult Sample Section I Transfers Public-Use Data
DS17: Adult Sample Section I Transfers (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS18: Adult Sample Section J Social Variables Public-Use Data
DS19: Adult Sample Section L Parent/Guardian Public-Use Data
DS20: Adult Sample Section M HOME Short Form Assessment Public-Use Data
DS21: Adult Sample Section N Appendum Public-Use Data
DS22: Adult Sample Section O Interviewer Remarks Public-Use Data
DS23: Proxy Child Sample Section Roster Public-Use Data
DS24: Proxy Child Sample Section A Demographics Public-Use Data
DS25: Proxy Child Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences Public-Use Data
DS26: Proxy Child Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS27: Proxy Child Sample Section C Employment Public-Use Data
DS28: Proxy Child Sample Section C Employment (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS29: Proxy Child Sample Section D Health Public-Use Data
DS30: Proxy Child Sample Section E Health and Life Insurance Public-Use Data
DS31: Proxy Child Sample Section F Health Care Utilization and Daily Activities Public-Use Data
DS32: Proxy Child Sample Section G Income Public-Use Data
DS33: Proxy Child Sample Section G Income (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS34: Proxy Child Sample Section H Assets Public-Use Data
DS35: Proxy Child Sample Section H Assets (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS36: Proxy Child Sample Section P Housing Public-Use Data
DS37: Proxy Child Sample Section P Housing (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS38: Proxy Child Sample Section I Transfers Public-Use Data
DS39: Proxy Child Sample Section I Transfers (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS40: Proxy Child Sample Section J Social Variables Public-Use Data
DS41: Proxy Child Sample Section K Migration History Public-Use Data
DS42: Proxy Child Sample Section L Parent/Guardian Public-Use Data
DS43: Proxy Child Sample Section M HOME Short Form Assessment Public-Use Data
DS44: Proxy Child Sample Section N Appendum Public-Use Data
DS45: Proxy Child Sample Section O Interviewer Remarks Public-Use Data
DS46: New Adult Main Child Sample Section Roster Public-Use Data
DS47: New Adult Main Child Sample Section A Demographics Public-Use Data
DS48: New Adult Main Child Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences Public-Use Data
DS49: New Adult Main Child Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS50: New Adult Main Child Sample Section C Employment Public-Use Data
DS51: New Adult Main Child Sample Section C Employment (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS52: New Adult Main Child Sample Section D Health Public-Use Data
DS53: New Adult Main Child Sample Section E Health and Life Insurance Public-Use Data
DS54: New Adult Main Child Sample Section F Health Care Utilization and Daily Activities Public-Use Data
DS55: New Adult Main Child Sample Section G Income Public-Use Data
DS56: New Adult Main Child Sample Section G Income (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS57: New Adult Main Child Sample Section H Assets Public-Use Data
DS58: New Adult Main Child Sample Section H Assets (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS59: New Adult Main Child Sample Section P Housing Public-Use Data
DS60: New Adult Main Child Sample Section P Housing (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS61: New Adult Main Child Sample Section I Transfers Public-Use Data
DS62: New Adult Main Child Sample Section I Transfers (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS63: New Adult Main Child Sample Section J Social Variables Public-Use Data
DS64: New Adult Main Child Sample Section K Migration History Public-Use Data
DS65: New Adult Main Child Sample Section M HOME Short Form Assessment Public-Use Data
DS66: New Adult Main Child Sample Section N Appendum Public-Use Data
DS67: New Adult Main Child Sample Section O Interviewer Remarks Public-Use Data
DS68: Spouse Sample Section Roster Public-Use Data
DS69: Spouse Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences Public-Use Data
DS70: Spouse Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS71: Spouse Sample Section C Employment Public-Use Data
DS72: Spouse Sample Section C Employment (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS73: Spouse Sample Section D Health Public-Use Data
DS74: Spouse Sample Section E Health and Life Insurance Public-Use Data
DS75: Spouse Sample Section F Health Care Utilization and Daily Activities Public-Use Data
DS76: Spouse Sample Section G Income Public-Use Data
DS77: Spouse Sample Section G Income (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS78: Spouse Sample Section H Assets Public-Use Data
DS79: Spouse Sample Section H Assets (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS80: Spouse Sample Section P Housing Public-Use Data
DS81: Spouse Sample Section P Housing (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS82: Spouse Sample Section I Transfers Public-Use Data
DS83: Spouse Sample Section I Transfers (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS84: Spouse Sample Section K Migration History Public-Use Data
DS85: Spouse Sample Section L Parent/Guardian Public-Use Data
DS86: Spouse Sample Section M HOME Short Form Assessment Public-Use Data
DS87: Spouse Sample Section O Interviewer Remarks Public-Use Data
DS88: Child Sample Section Z Child Interview Public-Use Data
DS89: Child Sample Section WJ Woodcock Johnson Assessment Public-Use Data
DS90: Child Sample Section DS Digit Span Assessment Public-Use Data
DS91: Child Sample Section HObs Home Observations Public-Use Data
DS92: Adult Sample Education Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS93: Adult Sample Employment Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS94: Adult Sample Occupation and Industry Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS95: Adult Sample Health Condition Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS96: Adult Sample Height and Weight Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS97: Adult Sample Religion Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS98: Adult Sample Currency Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS99: Adult Sample State Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS100: Adult Sample Language Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS101: Adult Sample Country Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS102: Adult Sample Relationship Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS103: Proxy Child Sample Education Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS104: Proxy Child Sample Occupation and Industry Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS105: Proxy Child Sample Height and Weight Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS106: Proxy Child Sample Religion Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS107: Proxy Child Sample Currency Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS108: Proxy Child Sample State Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS109: Proxy Child Sample Language Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS110: Proxy Child Sample Country Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS111: Proxy Child Sample Relationship Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS112: Spouse Sample NonCash Payments Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS113: Spouse Sample Employment Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS114: Spouse Sample Occupation and Industry Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS115: Spouse Sample Health Conditions Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS116: Spouse Sample Height and Weight Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS117: Spouse Sample Currency Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS118: Spouse Sample State Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS119: Spouse Sample Language Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS120: Spouse Sample Country Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS121: Spouse Sample Relationship Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS122: Child Sample Section WJ Woodcock Johnson Assessment Country Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS123: Child Sample Section Z Country Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS124: Child Sample Section DS Digit Span Assessment Language Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS125: Child Sample Section Z Language Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS126: Adult Sample Combined Weights Restricted-Use Data
DS127: Adult Sample Combined Weights Public-Use Data
description: Legal immigrants to the United States and their families. Smallest Geographic Unit: State
description: face-to-face interviewVersion 1 of The New Immigrant Survey Round 2 study contains variables pertaining to respondents' demographics. The Version 2 study contains information pertaining to the respondents' immigration details and geographic identifiers.Datasets in this study that contain "(ppp)" in their name indicate that they have purchasing power parities calculated. These datasets were created by the NIS team and include variables from Sections B, C, G, H, I, and P. See the associated questionnaires for additional information about the variables in these sections.