Work & Retirement

Canceled by the Social Security Administration on Feb. 20, 2025.

Late-arriving immigrants constitute the largest segment (49%) of Social Security “never beneficiaries,” individuals who lack adequate earnings to qualify for benefits. The proportion of older individuals among recent immigrants to the U.S. is increasing. A significant portion of these late-arriving immigrants persist in working into their older years, primarily due to financial constraints and the pursuit of Social Security eligibility.

Our mixed-method study will utilize nationally representative datasets and Social Security administrative records to examine how the age of arrival relates to labor force participation near retirement age, Social Security eligibility, and various other economic outcomes. Furthermore, we will conduct a community-based participatory study involving in-depth qualitative interviews and explore the economic challenges and survival strategies adopted by this often marginalized group, who are typically hard to reach and study.

The principal investigator is Na Yin, CUNY Institute for Demographic Research. This project is funded by the Social Security Administration (SSA) through the New York Retirement and Disability Research Center (NYRDRC), which is part of the SSA’s Retirement and Disability Research Consortium. The NYRDRC, led by Na Yin, Ruth Finkelstein, and Teresa Ghilarducci, is a collaboration of the CUNY Institute for Demographic Research at Baruch College, the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging, and the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at The New School.