What is Immigration? And Why Do People Migrate to Other Nations?

Immigration is the process by which people move to a different country, where they are non-natives. In other words, they do not possess the citizenship of that particular country.

This can also be defined as the process of traveling to a country with the aim of obtaining permanent residence there.

Reasons Why People Migrate to Other Nations

There are several reasons why people migrate to other nations. Below are the eight major ones:

More and more people are opting to leave their countries of birth in the hopes of finding a better place to live. The increase in immigration allows an ever-growing number of people to travel to distant countries or even other continents. Their preferred destinations are nations with prosperity and a higher standard of living.

No country in the world can comfortably cope with the influx of foreigners. Most countries protect the interests of their citizens through strict immigration rules. Most of these countries recognize their obligation to offer asylum and protection to those faced with persecution.

However, immigrants have their own reasons. Generally speaking, it’s not just a single reason that compels people to leave their home for a distant place, but a complex network of many reasons.

Reasons Why People Migrate to Other Nations

Here are eight major reasons why people migrate to other nations:

1. The Need to Escape Violence

War has recently proved to be one of the leading causes of immigration. Many citizens in violent or war-torn nations are forced to shift to other destinations for their survival. The families and individuals who are involved in this end up becoming refugees in another country. This means that because of the generated fear in them, they might consider never going back to their countries of birth.

2. Health Care

Imagine living in a place with no access to good health care or medical equipment when you’re suffering from a very serious health condition. Sadly, it is true that some countries cannot afford proper health care for their citizens. Therefore, the individuals in those countries who suffer from serious illnesses are sometimes referred to other countries to seek better healthcare and medication. This means that the citizen will have to be an immigrant in that foreign country. This shows that healthcare is also a leading cause of immigration around the globe.

3. Education

Just like healthcare, education is also a leading factor in migration. In some third world countries, education levels are somehow low. This means that people in those countries who need to advance their studies will be forced to move to the developed nations or nations that have the kind of education they need.

This will result in immigration because a person will have to stay in a foreign country until the completion of their studies.

4. Job & Business Opportunities

In other cases, individuals are forced to migrate to other nations in the hopes of finding better or more job opportunities for them. Some countries which are highly industrialized and developed usually have many job opportunities. Many developed countries have a large number of ageing population, and better paying opportunities for their workers. Therefore, individuals looking for a chance to advance their skills may decide to move overseas in order to realize their long-term dreams.

This means that a citizen from a different country will identify his or her field in that developed country and make the move. When it comes to business opportunities, a citizen from one country will identify a country that favors the type of enterprise he or she owns. From there, he or she will migrate to that nation and establish the business there.

5. Love and Marriage

In today’s digital era, people are interacting more online and long-distance relationships are becoming more and more common. But, for lovers ready to tie the knot, migrating to a different country in order to be together is the natural choice.

6. Poverty

Some nations around the globe are very poor and generally have low standards of living.

People who are not well off may undergo a lot of suffering.  Therefore, a large number of the suffering people will be forced to migrate to other promising nations in the form of refugees, to turn around their lives for the better.  Parents might also be forced to make the hard decision to migrate to a different country in order to give their children a chance to benefits from superior education, better healthcare and plentiful job opportunities.

7. Family Reunification

In terms of family, it means that the relatives who are in a foreign nation are inviting the ones from home for a visit. This reason will force them to migrate from their original homelands to another country and thus resulting to immigration.

8. The Need to Escape Persecution

People also make the difficult decision to move to different countries to escape persecution based on nationality, religion, race or membership in a given political alliance or social group.  In most countries, individuals and families who meet the necessary criteria may be recognized as refugees.  However, refuges must confirm their status before entering their preferred country. Asylum seekers, on the other hand, secure their status when they arrive at their country of choice.

Conclusion

Every year, more and more people decide to move to other countries for better prospects. On the other hand, people are sometimes forced to make their hard decisions to move and start their lives from scratch in a foreign country due to bad conditions in their home countries. The above points show that different people have different reasons for migrating. Most of them are serious reasons in which it is a must for them and their survival.