Human Migration in
contemporary times
Introductory Aspects-
• Since the earliest times, humanity has been on the move. Some
people move in search of work or economic opportunities, to join
family, or to study.
• Others move to escape con ict, persecution, terrorism, or human
rights violations. Still others move in response to the adverse
effects of climate change, natural disasters, or other
environmental factors.
• Today, more people than ever live in a country other than the one
in which they were born
• According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM, an
UN Agency) - World Migration Report 2020, as of June 2019 the
number of international migrants was estimated to be almost 272
million globally, 51 million more than in 2010.
Who is a migrant
• The IOM de nes a migrant as any person who is moving or has
moved across an international border or within a State away from
his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of (1) the person’s
legal status; (2) whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary;
(3) what the causes for the movement are; or (4) what the length
of the stay is
• Human Migration includes
• internal migration: moving within a state, country, or continen
• external migration: moving to a different state, country, or continen
• emigration: leaving one country to move to anothe
• immigration: moving into a new countr
• return migration: moving back to where you came fro
• seasonal migration: moving with each season or in response to
labor or climate conditions
• People who migrate fall into several categories
• An emigrant is a person who is leaving one country to live in
another
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• An immigrant is a person who is entering a country from another
to make a new home
• A refugee is a person who has moved to a new country because
of a problem in their former home
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Reasons for Migration-
• There are a variety of different reasons for migration, and migration is
often split into two categories - voluntary migration and forced
migration.
• However, some reasons for migration apply to both voluntary and
forced migrants, therefore it is more useful to think of reasons for
migration in two categories: ‘push’ and ‘pull’.
• Push factors drive a migrant out of their country of origin while pull
factors attract migrants towards a particular destination country
Push Factors Pull Factors
War Employment opportunities
Poverty Political and Religious Freedom
Hunger Academic opportunities
Environmental or natural Familial migration
disasters
Political Instability Quality of Life
Discrimination
Economic Depression
Impact of Migration on Migrant’s Health:-
Fig- In uence of Migration on Migrant’s Morbidity
• Conditions affecting health in the country of origin & during the journey may
include war, torture, loss of relatives, long stays in refugee camps (which
may have poor sanitation and overcrowding), imprisonment, and
socioeconomic hardship.
• After arriving in the host country migrants may experience imprisonment,
long-lasting asylum seeking processes, language barriers, lack of
knowledge about health services, loss of social status, discrimination and
marginalisation
• Coping with a new language, as well as a new political and social context
can be extremely stressful. The effect of migration on the mental health of
individuals depends on the magnitude of strains in the recipient country and
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can be mediated by the migrant’s social resources (i.e. social networks,
language skills, education level, etc.)
• Migration may also affect risk perception and risk behaviour. Feelings of
loss and psycho-social issues related to lower social positions,
unemployment and being in a minority may lead to a feeling of lack of
connection between current risk behaviour and future health effects
• Migration also has health implications for the country migrants have left.
Individuals who emigrate for economic opportunities may cause a ‘brain
drain’ in their country of origin, when a large number of individuals with
technical skills or knowledge leave, potentially depleting the local
infrastructure. (For Eg - World Health Organisation (WHO) has long
recognised that migration of health personnel from developing to developed
countries increases the existing imbalances in the global health workforce
and can cause de ciencies in local provision of services in developing
countries. This migration is often demand-led when developed countries
experience shortages in medical professionals.) 23% of American
physicians received their medical training outside the USA. The majority of
foreign trained physicians (64%) in the USA came from middle or low-
income countries. In the UK, 31% of doctors and 13% of nurses were born
overseas. While countries of origin may bene t from some remittances (e.g.
migrant’s wages sent back), the adverse implications for developing
countries greatly outweigh these relatively small bene ts)
• Finally, there are health implications of migration in the host (destination)
country. Some host countries are worried about the presence of infectious
diseases in migrants and this further leads to Xenophobia. Covid - 19
Pandemic is largely seen as a Disease brought by asians to Western World
by the Local people
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Trends in Global Migration (as per IOM)
• Globally the patterns of Migration have been changing.
• Some areas have seen increased migration in recent years. Sao Paulo in
Brazil, Moscow in Russia and Cape Town in South Africa are all cited as
cities with a growing international population
• Other areas have become both an origin, as well as a destination for
migration. For instance, while Nigerians head into China, many Chinese are
heading to the Middle East and Africa
• Some cities, such as those in China, have seen rapid expansion in recent
years, in part because of a huge increase in migration
• At the global level, for example, we can see that, over time, migrants have
taken up residence in some regions (such as Asia) at a much greater rate
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than others (such as Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean), and that
this trend is likely to continue
Fig - Changing Migration Patterns in Contemporary Times.
• Compared with the size of the population in each region, shares of
international migrants in 2019 were highest in Oceania, North America and
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Europe, where international migrants represented, respectively, 21 per cent,
16 per cent and 11 per cent of the total population
• In 2019, Europe and Asia each hosted around 82 million and 84 million
international migrants, respectively – comprising 61 per cent of the total
global international migrant stock combined(Highest)
• North America, Europe harbouring high income countries have the highest
number of Resident Migrants while Asia including SE Asia, along with
Central America have high number of Migrants abroad that mainly migrate
for economic reasons. (Fig below - in millions)
• Nearly 164 million (64%) of the total 258 million migrants are labour
migrants. International migrants comprised 3.5 per cent of the global
population in 2019 (compared to 2.8 per cent in 2000 and 2.3 per cent in
1980).
• When compared with the global population of international migrants
of working age – regarded as 15 years of age or older (234 million) –
migrant workers account for 70 per cent
• Migrant workers continue to gravitate toward regions with greater
opportunities, as economies grow and labour markets evolve
• In terms of geography, 99.6 million or almost 61 per cent of all migrant
workers resided in three subregions: Northern America; the Arab States;
and Northern, Southern and Western Europe
• Notably, there is a striking gender imbalance of migrant workers in two
regions: Southern Asia (6 million males compared with 1.3 million females)
and the Arab States (19.1 million males compared with 3.6 million females
Fig - Recent Migration Routes
Issues faced by Migrants
1. Language Barrier
The language barrier is the main challenge as it affects the ability to
communicate with others. That is because it is assumed that immigrants will
learn Predominantly English, Spanish or French, depending on their
preferences. This may negatively impact the quality of informed decision-
making and the care experience for immigrants
Language barriers can also amplify the effects of other sources of
disadvantage. In some countries, immigrants get substandard health care
because they cannot speak the native language well.
2. Lack of Employment Opportunitie
Immigrants are among those people who are most likely to face
discrimination on the job. That is because there are many problems rooted in
how assignments are designed and managed. Moreover, many immigrant
workers are excluded from labor and safety protections that are enjoyed by
native-born workers
(For eg - Studies conducted in a number of Western European countries
found that at least one-third of all advertised vacancies were effectively
closed to applicants from ethnic minority groups as a result of
discriminatory hiring practices)
Newly arrived immigrants are usually disenfranchised in terms of their
knowledge of the job market. At the same time, immigrant professionals
face dif culties in obtaining recognition for foreign academic credentials.
3. Housin
Immigrants are probably the most vulnerable group when it comes to
housing. That’s because they face severe challenges nding safe, decent,
and affordable housing. However, housing problems for immigrants are more
than just the homeownership rate. Many of these recently settled immigrants
are jobless and can’t afford to pay rent. Moreover, there’s a higher housing
cost burden for illegal immigrants compared with their legal immigrant
counterparts.
4. Access to Medical Service
People should have access to health care services regardless of their
nationality. However, immigrants have low rates of medical insurance
coverage and poor access to health care services. Besides, policy changes
have limited immigrants’ access to insurance and health care
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(This is found widespread in parts of France, in particularly in Paris where
every one out of seven is a migrant
These barriers range from nancial limitations to discrimination and fear of
deportation. This has contributed to growing concerns about immigrant’s
ability to participate in many free healthcare programs
In many countries, undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible to buy health
insurance coverage. At the same time, research shows that immigrant
families often forgo needed health care because they fear discrimination.
5. Transportation Issue
Immigrants have limited options when it comes to accessing reliable
transport. One of the most signi cant dif culties immigrants face is the age-
related unreliability of their vehicles. Therefore, getting to work and limited
transportation are all genuine issues for immigrants
Private transportation is also a problem since most immigrants can’t obtain a
driver’s license
6. Cultural Difference
The general understanding of immigrants is based upon falsehoods,
misunderstandings, and myths. These false ideas cause large and unfair
disparities in many aspects of their life
Even well-settled migrants face ongoing cultural and communication barriers.
This can range from social customs to more signi cant issues such as
religion. For instance, children may feel ashamed that they don’t know the
most famous music
Fear and distrust of immigrants have fuelled the creation and success of
cultural myths in many countries. Even deeds done with a good intention can
come off as culturally insensitive
7. Raising Childre
Growing up as the child of parents who immigrated to another country is not
easy. The socioeconomic and psychosocial concerns that children of
immigrants often face in a new country can be challenging. Depression,
anxiety, and panic disorder are common among immigrants’ children
The pressure that children of immigrants face is high, and mental health
support is low. Research has shown that children of immigrants are more
likely to struggle in school. Other forms of discrimination they may face
include discrimination, isolation, and nancial stresses
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8. Prejudic
Many immigrants experience discrimination. In fact, there’s been a huge
sweep of increased anti-immigration prejudice. These prejudices are further
cemented by how much news and information one consumes. In particular,
anti-immigrant attitudes sustain restrictive policies.
The prejudice tends to be either against all minority ethnic and religious
groups. For instance, more non-EU migrants feel they face discrimination in
the UK than those from Europe.
Box - What is Environmental Migration and Who are
Climate Refugees
Climate change and environmental degradation will make life unliveable for
many people and this will force them to move. Whether in response to oods,
droughts or extreme heat or to nd water and food people all around the
world will be displaced by the changing climate. These people are known as
climate refugees and they are part of a new wave of environmental migration
According to the United Nations’ de nition from the Convention Relating to
the Status of Refugees (1951) a refugee is a person who “owing to a well-
founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the
country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling
to avail himself of the protection of that country”. In 1967 Protocol the
de nition of a refugee was expanded to include persons who had ed war or
other violence. At present the United Nations does not formally provide
long-term legal protection to refugees due to environmental factors and
climate change
The International Organisation for Migration proposes the following de nition
for environmental migrants
“Environmental migrants are persons or groups of persons who, for
compelling reasons of sudden or progressive changes in the environment that
adversely affect their lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their
habitual homes, or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, and
who move either within their country or abroad.
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Fig - Areas with increased risk of Climatic Outmigration due to Climate
change
Recent trends
• At the end of 2020, around 7 million people in 104 countries and territories
were living in displacement as a result of disasters that happened not only
in 2019, but also in previous years
• The top 5 countries with the highest number of internally displaced persons
due to disasters were Afghanistan (1.1 million); India (929,000);
Pakistan (806,000); Ethiopia (633,000), and Sudan (454,000) .
• Like in past years, disasters remained the leading trigger of new internal
displacements globally. Speci cally, disasters in 2020 triggered more than
three-quarters (30.7 million) of the new internal displacements recorded
worldwide
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people stayed in their exposed
homes during disasters despite early warnings because of fear of infection.
Disaster displacement gures were the highest in a decade.
• More than 98 per cent of the 30.7 million new displacements in 2020
were the result of weather-related hazards such as storms and oods
and concentrated in East Asia and Paci c and South Asia. Five
countries accounted for more than 60 per cent of the new internal
displacements due to disasters: China (5.1 million), Philippines (4.4
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million), Bangladesh (4.4 million), India (3.9 million) and the United
States(1.7 million).
