Global Migration: Meaning and Concept

Globalization has made migration possible and an inevitable fact. As defined by Cambridge dictionary,
190 global migration is a situation in which people go to live in foreign countries especially to find a job.
Though it can be often seen as a permanent move rather than a complex series of backward or onward
series, 191 the term migration is often conceptualized as a move from an origin to a destination, or from
a place of birth to another destination across administrative borders within a country or international
borders. 192.

Types of Migration

Internal migration This refers to people moving from one area to another within one country

International migration This refers to the movement people who cross the borders of one country to
another.

The latter can be broken down into five groups: First are those who move permanently to another
country (immigrants). The second refers to workers who stay in another country for a fixed period (at
least 6 months in a year).193 Illegal immigrants comprise the third group, while the fourth are migrants
whose families have “petitioned” them to move to the destination country. The fifth group are refugees
(also known as assylum-seekers), i.e., those “unable or unwilling to return because of a well-founded
fear of persecution on acccount of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or
political opinion.

Many countries face issues of illegal migration. The United States faces a major influx of illegal
immigrants from Mexico and other Central American states 195 . A fence is being constructed on the
US-Mexico border to control this flow of people. 196 However, its efficacy is questioned and it is thought
that it will only be illegal immigrants to adopt more dangerous methods to gain entry. In addition,
tighter borders have also had the effect of “locking in” people who might otherwise have left the
country. 197 Other countries with similar concerns about illegal immigration include Great Britain,
Switzerland, and Greece as well as other countries in Asia.

A strong case can be made on the backlash against illegal immigrants 198 . In the North, such
immigrants constitute a younger workforce that does work which locals may not perform, and they are
consumers who contribute to growth. They also send remittances back to family members in the
country of origin, which improves the lives of the recipients, reduces poverty rates, and increases the
level of education as well as the foreign reserves of the home country 199 . Banks are often unwilling or
unable to handle the type (small amounts of money) and volume of remittances. As a result, specialized
organizations play a major role in the transmission of remittances. In terms of remittances, the
Philippines is one of the leaders when it comes to the flow of remittances ($14.7 billion), next to India
($24.5 billion) and China ($21.1 billion.
Reasons for Migration

People decide to migrate because of push and pull factors. A push factor induces people to move out of
their present location, whereas a pull factor induces people to move into a new location. As migration
for most people is a major step not taken lightly, both push and pull factors typically play a role. To
migrate, people view their current place of residence so negatively that they feel pushed away, and they
view another place so attractively that they feel pulled toward it.201 The following are the factors
underlying the global movement of the people.

1. Cultural Factor

Cultural factor can be especially a compelling push factor, forcing people to emigrate from a country.
Forced international migration has historically occurred for two main cultural reasons: slavery and
political instability. Millions of people were shipped to other countries as slaves or as prisoners,
especially from Africa to the Western Hemisphere, during the eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries. Large groups of people are no longer forced to migrate as slaves, but forced international
migration persists because of political instability resulting from cultural diversity.

2. Socio-political Factor

Socio-political factors have become more prominent force to initiate migration activities. Political
instability in some parts of the world is responsible for migration that needs to be addressed by the
scholars of the world. Situation of war, oppression and the lack of socio-political rights are the major
factors of migration in contemporary time. Lack of political rights and prevalent exploitation of a
particular group or community in any nation state act as push factors for migration to get away from
such situation. Social conflict forces millions of human creature to leave sometimes their homes and
even their homeland every year to continue breathing on this planet. This displacement creates a
humanitarian nightmare. This human crisis threatens the security of displaced people. The journalists
around the globe describe such situation with their voice that attracts the people’s attention towards
this crisis. For example, we can quote some headlines as sample ‘growing stream of refugees’ from
Sudan, a ‘flood of boat people’ trying to reach Australia, and a ‘tide of refugees’ inundating Florida.

3. Environmental Factor

Despite the fact that human relocation is a fundamental piece of history and culture of world, ecological
change assumes a contributing part in influencing populace movement, especially on local level.
According to IOM (International Organisation of Migration): “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”. 203
This definition comprises the people who have been displaced by natural disasters and those who
choose to migrate because of worsening environmental condition of a particular area. The
environmentally caused migration can be internal as well as international.
Environmental migrants commonly suffer with great risks to remain without legal protection. Sometimes
they find themselves outside of their own country and also within the country. When world leaders of
most of the countries came together in Paris to discuss the matter of climate change and its
consequences for migration, it seemed like they would find long term solution. According to The
European Commission, “The greatest single impact of climate change could be on human migration with
millions of people displaced by shoreline erosion, coastal flooding, and agricultural disruption—a crisis in
the making.” 204

4. Economic Factors

Migration is a process affecting individuals and their families economically. It ensues as a response to
economic development along with social and cultural factors. Recent studies on the economic impact of
migration in European countries as well as other part of the world have reflected fresh comparative
evidence that provides boost for economy. International migration has two way effects on economic
growth. Though it is still debatable about its positive impact on GDP growth of a host country, it is world
widely recognized that migration expands the skilled workforce.

A recent UNCTAD report notes: ‘Remittances are more stable and predictable as compared to other
financial flows and, more importantly, they are counter-cyclical providing buffer against economic
shocks. In conflict or post–conflict situations, remittances can be crucial to survival, sustenance,
rehabilitation, and reconstruction. In providing primarily for household livelihoods, remittances are
spent on general consumption items in local communities that contribute to local economies by
supporting small businesses.

Moreover, in contributing to foreign exchange earnings, remittances can spur economic growth by
improving sending countries’ credit worthiness and expanding their access to international capital
markets’. 205 It is also important to consider the impact of return migration on the economy of a
particular country. Return migration has always put impacts on, at various levels, of economy as well as
society in whole.

According to World Migration Report published in 2018, “The total estimated 244 million people living in
a country other than their country of birth in 2015 is almost 100 million more than in 1990 (when it was
153 million), and over three times the estimated number in 1970 (84 million).While the proportion of
international migrants globally has increased over this period, it is evident that the vast majority of
people continue to live in the country in which they were born. Most international migrants in 2015
(around 72%) were of working age (20 to 64 years of age), with a slight decrease in migrants aged less
than 20 between 2000 and 2015 (17% to 15%), and a constant share 159 (around 12%) of international
migrants aged 65 years or more since 2000.