Rich longitudinal data from the Mexican Family Life Survey provides new evidence on selectivity and assimilation of recent migrants from Mexico to the United States. This data has the unique feature of interviewing subjects prior to the migration decision and then tracking and collecting data on these migrants post migration. Specifically, this research exploits the robust information collected on all respondents at baseline in 2002, as well as in two follow-up surveys conducted in 2005 and 2009. In this paper respondents interviewed at baseline in Mexico in 2002 that subsequently moved to the United States are contrasted with individuals who only moved within Mexico. Additionally, respondents that moved and stayed in the U.S. are compared to those who moved to the U.S. during this time but chose to return to Mexico. Finally, we will examine the characteristics of “stayers” that are related to successful assimilation in the U.S. Measures of labor market outcomes, per capita expenditure, use of English and living arrangements in the U.S. are used as the markers of successful assimilation.