Temporary Migration, Skill Upgrading, and Legal Status: Evidence from Mexican Migrants

This paper explores the extent to which temporary Mexican migrants upgrade their skills while working in the United States. In contrast to Lacuesta (2006), we find that labor market performance in Mexico is positively related to one’s accumulated migration experience in the United States. Self-selection of high-skilled individuals into migration does not drive this result. Surprisingly, while we estimate a large rate of return to undocumented migration experience, we do not find the same for documented experience.