Understanding migration. What is migration? Migration means the physical movement of people from one place to another. Usually it is defined as a move

Understanding migration

Understanding migration Understanding migration

What is migration?• Migration means the physical movement

of people from one place to another.

• Usually it is defined as a move for at least

1 year.

• Migration is considered a permanent or

semi-permanent move.

• This separates migration from other

shorter-term human movements such as

daily commuting or tourism.

• Migration can be internal — moving within

a country.

• It can also be international — crossing an

country border.

Traffic queuing to cross from Tijuana in Mexico to the USA.

The people are a mix of tourists, visitors on business and migrants


Why do people migrate? • People’s motives from migrating are

complex.

• People migrate to flee oppression or

persecution (fear).

• Others move for economic reasons – a

better job or higher income.

• Migration can be made for lifestyle

reasons, such as a more attractive culture or

climate.

• Others move because the environment they

live in has become uninhabitable, due to a

natural disaster or desertification.

• People can also move for social reasons,

such as to join family members.

A distinction is often made between forced and voluntary migration, i.e. moving because you choose to, or because you

have to.


Migrant motives • Migrants have varied and complex

motives for deciding on a new place to

live.

• The graph shows a the results of a

study into the motives of people

migrating to New Zealand.

• Some of the reasons are economic

(employment opportunity, economic

conditions).

• Others are family reasons (marry, live

with a spouse/partner).

• However, cultural lifestyle reasons also

feature in the list. NB migrants gave multiple reasons, so totals

exceed 100%.


Lee’s migration model • Dating from 1966, Everett Lee’s well-

known push-pull model is still a

useful way of thinking about migration.

• People decide to migrate when they

are pushed away from a source

region by its negative features.

• They are pulled to a new place by its

positive features.

• Migration is only possible if migrants

can overcome intervening obstacles

that might prevent movements — such

as physical distance, costs of travel,

political barriers.

There is strong ‘push’ when the

negative features of where

someone lives outweigh the

positives

Migrants choose their destination based on positive

features outweighing

negatives, i.e. the pull


Types of migrant Migrant terminology can be confusing:

Illegal migrant A migrant who has entered a country illegally, without permission or documentation. (Note that all of the types of migrant listed below are legal)

Economic migrant A migrant whose primary motive is economic, i.e. earning an income

Refugee A forced migrant, who has fled across an international border from danger

Internally displaced person (IDP)

Forced migrant who has moved within his/her own country.

Asylum seeker Someone who claims to be a refugee, but whose claim has not yet been evaluated

Return migrant A migrant going back to his/her source country/region.

Retirement migrant Retired person who moves to a new location (internally or internationally) for lifestyle reasons


Migrant numbers

• International migration has grown over

the last few decades as a result of:• Easier and cheaper travel, especially

by air.• Globalisation and the growth of TNCs,

creating global business migrants.• The growth of tourism, and its need for

low-cost migrant labour.• The removal of some restrictions on

migration, e.g. within the EU.

• There has also been an huge increase in

internal rural–urban migration to the

world’s cities.


• The global stock of international migrants in 2013, 231 million, represented the

world’s fifth biggest ‘country’ by population.

• Most migrants are in developed countries, and most of the 231 million are

economic migrants.

• Men represent a slightly bigger slice of the 231 million than women.

• Globally, the number of refugees has been stable over the last 20 years at

between 10 and 15 million, but the number of IDPs has grown from 5 million in

the 1990s to over 30 million today.

International migrant stock(millions)

1990 2000 2010 2013

Total 154 174 220 231

Developed world 82 103 129 135

Developing world 71 71 90 95

Documents

Understanding migration. What is migration? Migration means the physical movement of people from one place to another. Usually it is defined as a move