Abstract
We conduct empirical study in order to estimate the impact of naturalization on labor market integration through comparison of the treatment in labor markets towards naturalized and non-naturalized first generation immigrants to that of the native population. Moreover, the analyses were conducted for two European countries that differ in their accessibility to naturalization through different citizenship-policy characteristics.
The study contributes to the existing migration and naturalization literature by (1) comparing the relationship towards naturalized and non-naturalized migrants in European labor markets to that of native population, and (2) trying to estimate the impact of citizenship-policy characteristics on the treatment in labor markets after naturalization. The results of the paper suggest the existence of high naturalization premiums and full socioeconomic integration of naturalized migrants in the observed country with softer naturalization policies (France), but do not show any naturalization premiums in the country with strict naturalization policies (Denmark).
This finding questions the use of stricter citizenship policies for better socioeconomic integration of immigrants.