TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina
AU  - Bucheli, Jose R.
        TI  - Work Authorization Delays and Economic Integration of Asylum Seekers in the United States
        PY  - 2026/Mar/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18462
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18462
        AB  - Access to the labor market is crucial for the economic integration of asylum seekers. This study estimates the causal impact of work authorization timing on the labor market outcomes of likely asylum seekers. We link USCIS administrative records with American Community Survey microdata and use congestion-driven variation in processing times within an instrumental variable framework. Faster authorization boosts labor force participation, employment, and earnings, while effects on hours worked and occupational choices are modest. The impacts are concentrated within the first decade after arrival and diminish over time, indicating that processing delays slow integration but do not permanently hinder it.
        KW  - asylum seekers
KW  - work authorization
KW  - labor market integration
KW  - United States
        ER  -