Eligibility for Employment (Immigrant
Documentation Status) and Health
Immigrant authorization for U.S. employment (docu- mentation status) was related to several factors. Recently arrived immigrant workers were more likely to be undocu- mented as compared with farm laborers who had a long history of employment in California agriculture. A very large share of workers who had 10 years or less of U.S. hired farm work said they were undocumented: 60% of men and 39% of women. Of those who had more than 10 years of U.S. hired farm work, just 8% of men and 7% of women said they were undocumented. Additionally, a somewhat larger share of both male and female workers who said they lacked authorization for U.S. employment also reported that their employer was a farm labor contractor, not a grower, as compared with other workers.