The Dynamics of Immigration ; an Analysis Using Micro Data Immigration Multipliers

In this paper we present an immigration multiplier based on a comprehensive full population register data set for an extended period, 1980-2009. We use information on the individuals’ residential addresses and on the immigrants’ arrival/departure dates to identify original immigrants and derived immigrations (family and network reunification). This allows us to study the dynamics of immigration and to associate the magnitude of derived immigration with the individual characteristics of the original immigrants. The main results are that one original immigrant becomes 2.6 immigrants on average via reunification with family and others. This number varies greatly by country of origin, by age, and by education; varying the country of origin alone makes the multiplier varies between 1.5 and 5.5. Based on recent Danish experiences we finally show that the reproduction of immigrations reacts strongly to changes in immigration laws.