White Americans generally equate “being American” with “being White.” In six studies, we demonstrate that White Americans perceive immigrants who adopt American mainstream culture as racially White and, reciprocally, perceive White-looking immigrants as assimilating more. In Studies 1 and 2, participants visually represented immigrants who adopted U.S. culture by acculturating to mainstream American culture or by holding a common or dual identity as more phenotypically White and less stereotypic in appearance. In Studies 3 and 4, these processes explained why participants were less likely to racially profile immigrants but also regarded them as less qualified for integration support. In Study 5, participants perceived light skin to fit to high U.S. culture adoption and dark skin to low U.S. culture adoption. Finally, in Study 6, light-skinned immigrants were seen as less threatening because they were perceived as assimilating more. Immigrants’ acculturation orientation and appearance interact and shape how they are evaluated. © 2017, © 2017 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

integration support multiculturalism Acculturation Dual identity reverse correlation common identity

perception Caucasian Stereotyping Social Identification human middle aged Ethnic Groups ethnic group United States Humans migrant male Emigrants and Immigrants Acculturation female cultural factor adult European Continental Ancestry Group Social Perception social behavior phenotype