DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38031.v3
title: The New Immigrant Survey Round 1 (NIS-2003-1), United States, 2003-2004 [Public and Restricted-Use Version 1]
title: Version 3

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 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.

Interviews were conducted in the respondents' language of choice. The Round 1 questionnaire items 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: demographic, 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: The public-use data, excluding the (ppp) datasets, contain the weight variable <strong>NISWGTSAMP1</strong>. Please see the Sampling Weights documentation for additional information.
description: Response Rates: The Round 1 Adult Sample response rate was 68.6 percent.
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 CIS Preload Public-Use Data
DS3: Adult Sample Section A Demographics Public-Use Data
DS4: Adult Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences Public-Use Data
DS5: Adult Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS6: Adult Sample Section C Employment Public-Use Data
DS7: Adult Sample Section C Employment (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS8: Adult Sample Section D Health Public-Use Data
DS9: Adult Sample Section E Health and Life Insurance Public-Use Data
DS10: Adult Sample Section F Health Care Utilization and Daily Activities Public-Use Data
DS11: Adult Sample Section G Income Public-Use Data
DS12: Adult Sample Section G Income (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS13: Adult Sample Section H Assets Public-Use Data
DS14: Adult Sample Section H Assets (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS15: Adult Sample Section I Transfers Public-Use Data
DS16: Adult Sample Section I Transfers (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS17: Adult Sample Section J Social Variables Public-Use Data
DS18: Adult Sample Section K Migration History Public-Use Data
DS19: Adult Sample Section L Parent/Guardian Public-Use Data
DS20: Adult Sample Section M Home-SF Assessment Public-Use Data
DS21: Adult Sample Section N Appendum Public-Use Data
DS22: Adult Sample Section R Interviewer Comments on Respondent Interview Public-Use Data
DS23: Proxy Child Sample Section Roster Public-Use Data
DS24: Proxy Child Sample Section CIS Preload Public-Use Data
DS25: Proxy Child Sample Section A Demographics Public-Use Data
DS26: Proxy Child Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences Public-Use Data
DS27: Proxy Child Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS28: Proxy Child Sample Section C Employment Public-Use Data
DS29: Proxy Child Sample Section C Employment (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS30: Proxy Child Sample Section D Health Public-Use Data
DS31: Proxy Child Sample Section E Health and Life Insurance Public-Use Data
DS32: Proxy Child Sample Section F Health Care Utilization and Daily Activities Public-Use Data
DS33: Proxy Child Sample Section G Income Public-Use Data
DS34: Proxy Child Sample Section G Income (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS35: Proxy Child Sample Section H Assets Public-Use Data
DS36: Proxy Child Sample Section H Assets (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS37: Proxy Child Sample Section I Transfers Public-Use Data
DS38: Proxy Child Sample Section I Transfers (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS39: Proxy Child Sample Section J Social Variables Public-Use Data
DS40: Proxy Child Sample Section K Migration History Public-Use Data
DS41: Proxy Child Sample Section L Parent/Guardian Public-Use Data
DS42: Proxy Child Sample Section M Home-SF Assessment Public-Use Data
DS43: Proxy Child Sample Section N Appendum Public-Use Data
DS44: Proxy Child Sample Section R Interviewer Comments on Respondent Interview Public-Use Data
DS45: Spouse Sample Section Roster Public-Use Data
DS46: Spouse Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences Public-Use Data
DS47: Spouse Sample Section B Pre-Immigration Experiences (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS48: Spouse Sample Section C Employment Public-Use Data
DS49: Spouse Sample Section C Employment (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS50: Spouse Sample Section D Health Public-Use Data
DS51: Spouse Sample Section E Health and Life Insurance Public-Use Data
DS52: Spouse Sample Section F Health Care Utilization and Daily Activities Public-Use Data
DS53: Spouse Sample Section G Income Public-Use Data
DS54: Spouse Sample Section G Income (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS55: Spouse Sample Section H Assets Public-Use Data
DS56: Spouse Sample Section H Assets (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS57: Spouse Sample Section I Transfers Public-Use Data
DS58: Spouse Sample Section I Transfers (ppp) Public-Use Data
DS59: Spouse Sample Section I-SP Transfers - Spouse Callback Public-Use Data
DS60: Spouse Sample Section K Migration History Public-Use Data
DS61: Spouse Sample Section L Parent/Guardian Public-Use Data
DS62: Spouse Sample Section M Home-SF Assessment Public-Use Data
DS63: Spouse Sample Section S Interviewer Comments on Spouse Interview Public-Use Data
DS64: Child Sample Section Z Child Interview Public-Use Data
DS65: Child Sample Section WJ Woodcock Johnson Assessment Public-Use Data
DS66: Child Sample Section DS Digit Span Assessment Public-Use Data
DS67: Adult Sample Education Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS68: Adult Sample NonCash Payments Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS69: Adult Sample Employment Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS70: Adult Sample Occupation and Industry Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS71: Adult Sample Health Condition Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS72: Adult Sample Height and Weight Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS73: Adult Sample Religion Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS74: Adult Sample Currency Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS75: Adult Sample State Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS76: Adult Sample Language Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS77: Adult Sample Country Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS78: Adult Sample Relationship Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS79: Proxy Child Sample Education Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS80: Proxy Child Sample NonCash Payments Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS81: Proxy Child Sample Employment Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS82: Proxy Child Sample Occupation and Industry Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS83: Proxy Child Sample Health Condition Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS84: Proxy Child Sample Height and Weight Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS85: Proxy Child Sample Religion Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS86: Proxy Child Sample Currency Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS87: Proxy Child Sample State Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS88: Proxy Child Sample Language Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS89: Proxy Child Sample Country Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS90: Proxy Child Sample Relationship Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS91: Spouse Sample NonCash Payments Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS92: Spouse Sample Employment Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS93: Spouse Sample Occupation and Industry Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS94: Spouse Sample Health Condition Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS95: Spouse Sample Height and Weight Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS96: Spouse Sample Currency Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS97: Spouse Sample State Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS98: Spouse Sample Language Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS99: Spouse Sample Country Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS100: Spouse Sample Relationship Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS101: Child Sample Country Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS102: Child Sample Relationship Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS103: Child Sample Language Variables Restricted-Use Data
DS104: Child Sample Language Variables Digit Span Assessment Restricted-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 1 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, and I. See the associated questionnaires for additional information about the variables in these sections.