English Proficiency and Social Assimilation Among Immigrants

For many immigrants to the United States, limited proficiency in the English language is a formidable challenge to both economic and social integration into their new home. Immigrants who speak English poorly are more superficially foreign than others, and this may contribute to their being discriminated against by U.S. natives. Moreover, immigrants with limited English proficiency might self-segregate, compounding this social and economic isolation.