Immigration Law Commons^™

The Impact Of Exchange Rate Fluctuations On Labor Migration: Evidence From U.S. Nonimmigrant Visa Statistics, Yaqi Gao

Honors Theses

Since mid-20th century, international migration has become a widespread phenomenon in nearly all industrialized countries and a major shaping force of the international labor market. Most economic theories consider labor migration to be an investment of human capital where workers seek to maximize household income and minimize financial risks. Because exchange rate changes affect prospective income and financial risks associated with migration, studying the responsiveness of skilled migrants to exchange rate fluctuations contribute to the studies of labor economics and international economics. This paper further investigates whether an appreciation in U.S. dollars incentivizes both skilled and unskilled workers to migrate …