Despite the scale of the US refugee resettlement program, policymakers and the public lack systematic information on how refugees adapt to their new environment. This article focuses on naturalization as a key measure of integration and draw on administrative data to provide direct estimates of the naturalization rates among refugees. The results show that, on average, refugees acquire citizenship faster than other lawful permanent residents. The article also identifies the set of factors that promote or constrain naturalization among refugees. These findings have implications for policymakers seeking to improve the integration of refugees within the United States.

Nadwa Mossaad, Jeremy Ferwerda, Duncan Lawrence, Jeremy M. Weinstein, and Jens Hainmueller, Determinants of refugee naturalization in the United States, PNAS, 2018