Applicants of color encounter discrimination based on cultural foreignness stereotypes in the labor market.

= 2,146) and one archival analysis (330 discrimination cases). We further identify job contexts where this form of discrimination is likely to occur and which groups may be most vulnerable. In Studies 1 and 2, Asian and Latino Americans were less likely to be selected than Black Americans for a job that emphasized stereotypically American characteristics (e.g., English skills, familiarity with American culture), even when their first names were Anglicized. Stereotypes about Asian and Latino Americans' cultural foreignness mediated their lower perceived hireability. Extending to a broader range of racial identities, gender identities, and job contexts revealed that for a stereotypically American job, Asian, Arab, and Latino/a American men and women were perceived as less hireable than Black Americans, who were perceived as less hireable than White Americans. However, when a job favored stereotypically high-status characteristics (e.g., technical skills, advanced education), Black, Latino/a, and Arab American men and women were perceived as less hireable than Asian and White Americans (Studies 3 and 4). An analysis of U.S. employment discrimination court cases revealed that Asian, Arab, and Latino American plaintiffs were more likely than Black American plaintiffs to report experiencing discrimination based on cultural foreignness stereotypes (Study 5). Findings illuminate when, why, and for whom stereotypes about cultural foreignness shape experiences with racial discrimination in the U.S. labor market. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).