Migration

Migration is the movement of people from

one place to another.
A refugee is someone who has left their home
and does not have a new home to go to. Often
refugees do not carry many possessions with
them and do not have a clear idea of where
they may finally settle.
People migrate for many different reasons. These
reasons can be classified as;
1. economic migration - moving to find work or follow
a particular career path
2. social migration - moving somewhere for a better
quality of life or to be closer to family or friends
3. political migration - moving to escape political
persecution or war
4. environmental causes of migration include natural
disasters such as flooding
There are usually push factors and pull factors for migration
Push factors are the reasons why people leave an area. They include
lack of services
lack of safety
high crime
crop failure
drought
flooding
poverty
war
Pull factors are the reasons why people move to a particular area. They include
higher employment
more wealth
better services
good climate
safer, less crime
political stability
more fertile land
lower risk from natural hazards
Migration usually happens as a result of a combination of these push and pull
factors.

For the country losing people:
Advantages Disadvantages
Fewer people to be fed and housed
Loss of young and most able people which
creates an unbalanced population structure
Reduces pressure on jobs and resources Loss of working age people
Less energy crisis
Loss of those most likely to have education
and skills
Elderly population remains, so there's a
higher death rate
Division of families
For the country gaining people:
Advantages Disadvantages
Cheap labour Language problems
Helps overcome labour shortages Racial / ethnic tensions
Cultural diversity Jobs lost to incoming workers
Some immigrants are highly skilled
Pressure on housing and services. Immigrants
tend to be less healthy, placing strain on the
health service, and they tend to live in low
quality housing

Limited skills/education in immigrant
population
Control/reduce migration
1. Border barriers
2. Intergovernmental cooperation
3. Legislative initiatives
4. Development in rural/poor areas
5. Reduce push factor and generate pull
factors in an area