Forms of Migration

The various kinds of migration depend on the flow and number of people often involved,
the reasons for their movement, the time they spend in migration, and the nature of that
migration. Here are a few forms:

Intercontinental migration:
It is when the movement is across continents, such as from Korea (Asia) to Brazil (South
America). If the movement is on the same continent, we say intracontinental migration.
Sometimes, people migrate from one place to the other within the same region, continent
or country. This is also known as regional migration or internal migration.

Rural-Urban Migration:
This involves the movement of people from rural areas or countrysides to urban areas of
the same country in search of new opportunities and lifestyles.

Forced or involuntary Migration:

This is when the government or authorities of a place force people to migrate for a reason.

Impelled Migration (also called reluctant or imposed migration):

Here, no one is forced to migrate but due to some push factors such as war, hunger and
other difficult conditions, people decide to leave.

Seasonal Migration:
Sometimes people move during specific seasons such as crop harvesting and climate to
work and then go back when the season is over.

Return Migration:
This involves the voluntary return of migrants to their original place after they outlive the
reasons for which they left. Often times, young people who move into the cities to work
return home when they retire to spend the rest of their lives in the quiet of their towns
and with old friends and family.

Long and short-term migration:

People may consider migrating for good if the condition in their home is one that is
threatening. For example, people move for better health care if they have some disease
that requires some level of attention that can only be received in another place. On the
other hand, it may be temporal in nature. For example, a person may study in another
place, but may decide to stay and work for many years before going back for good.

Types of migrants
This section looks at the main categories of migrants and the types
of migration in the contemporary world. Migrants tend to move across
different categories as their circumstances and that of their home countries
change.
Introduction
People migrate for many reasons, including economic, political, environmental
factors, or to join a family member. This section explores these categories
through case studies of real life migrants.

Economic Migrants
Economic migration is the movement of people from one country to another to
benefit from greater economic opportunities. It is often assumed that such
migration is primarily from less economically developed countries to the more
economically developed countries and from former colonies to the country that
was the imperial power.

Political Migrants
Many people are forced to migrate because of a war, civil war or state policies
which discriminate against particular groups of citizens or people who oppose
those in power. These people are unable to return home because they have
fears of being persecuted and are unlikely to receive any protection from their
government.

Environmental Migrants
Environmental migrants are people who are forced to migrate from or flee
their home region due to sudden or long-term changes to their local
environment which adversely affects their well being or livelihood.

Family Reunion
This form of migration refers to members of a family coming to join one of
their relatives who is resident in another country. This commonly includes