The paper studies the role of class of origin in the occupational outcomes of ethnic minorities and white British in the UK. In so doing, it reconsiders the relationship between ethnic penalties and intergenerational social reproduction by combining approaches from the migration and social stratification literatures. Two main hypotheses are tested. The first states that the class of origin helps explaining differences in occupational outcomes between ethnic minorities and white British; the second says that intergenerational social reproduction processes vary between groups. The paper finds partial evidence for both hypotheses. In particular, it reveals that the lower social reproduction of Pakistani, Caribbean and African men has particularly negative consequences for higher educated minorities, who do not gain ? as the white British do ? from more advantageous origins.