Measurement and prediction of satisfaction with life in immigrant workers in Spain. Differences according to their administrative status

This study aims to describe characteristics and job conditions in a sample of 277 immigrants of different nationalities in Spain (25.4% in unregulated situation), to know their degree of life satisfaction, to show some of the factors that predict their satisfaction with life, and to reveal possible differences between immigrants with varying legal status. The independent variables that have been considered are: life satisfaction in their country of origin, current social support and job satisfaction (both extrinsic and intrinsic). The results show that the immigrants experience meagre increases in life satisfaction in the new country, no increase in their feeling of happiness, and that there is a clear different degree of life satisfaction among immigrants with different legal statuses (higher in status regularized immigrants). The regression analysis shows that 50.9% of the variance of present life satisfaction for immigrants in an irregular legal status is predicted by the life satisfaction related to their own country. However, for those immigrants with residence permit, 47.2% of the present life satisfaction is explained by life satisfaction in their own country, social support and intrinsic job satisfaction.