A large body of work has demonstrated the substantial intergenerational mobility experienced by children of immigrants, yet the institutional determinants of incorporation are poorly understood. Building on insights from neo-classical assimilation theory, this article analyzes in-depth interviews with 62 high-achieving children of labor immigrants from Pakistan, Turkey, India, and Morocco and investigates how they maneuvered through Norway’s educational system and reached their current positions as medical doctors, lawyers, and business professionals. We show that these children of immigrants from low-income households capitalized on a series of institutional opportunity structures provided by Norway’s egalitarian welfare state, such as a school system with high standardization and low stratification, free higher education, and a cultural and institutional context that supports women’s employment. In line with neo-classical assimilation theory, we argue that the specific institutional structures and cultural beliefs in the Norwegian context shape the strategies and forms of adaptation chosen by ethnic minority groups. However, our analyses suggest the need for careful consideration of how such strategies and adaptations vary across national contexts.

大量研究表明，移民子女经历了大量的代际流动，但对融入的制度决定因素知之甚少。本文基于新古典同化理论的见解，分析了对来自巴基斯坦、土耳其、印度和摩洛哥的 62 名劳务移民的高成就子女的深入访谈，并调查了他们如何通过挪威的教育体系并达到目前的地位。医生、律师和商业专业人士。我们表明，这些来自低收入家庭的移民子女利用了挪威平等福利国家提供的一系列制度机会结构，例如高标准化和低分层的学校系统、免费高等教育、以及支持妇女就业的文化和制度背景。根据新古典同化理论，我们认为挪威语境中特定的制度结构和文化信仰塑造了少数民族群体选择的适应策略和形式。然而，我们的分析表明，需要仔细考虑这些战略和适应如何因国情而异。