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Immigration : What is it?

Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. An immigrant is someone who intends to reside permanently, and not a casual visitor or traveler. Immigration means "in-migration" into a country, and is the reverse of emigration, or "out-migration." The long term and/or permanent movement of human population in general, whether into, out of, or within countries (or before the existence of recognised countries) is regarded as migration.

Why do people immigrate?

People immigrate for the following reasons:

• economic (e.g, to escape poverty)
• professional (e.g, to find employment; to search for an occupation that is unavailable)
• political (e.g, to escape dictatorship or other unfair governments; disagrees over government)
• persecution and oppression, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, and bullying
• retirement (e.g., better weather; lower living costs).
• sentimental (e.g., the desire to settle in a country due to personal preference; family reunification).
• personal (e.g., opinion-based; love of another country)
• religious (e.g., they were not allowed to practice their own religion in some cases)

The great majority of immigration occurs for economic reasons of one sort or another. Wage rates and living expenses vary greatly between different countries; poor individuals of third world countries can have far higher standards of living in developed countries than in their originating countries, as not very well off but financially independent people from highly developed countries can live better in a less developed country where living standards are lower. A good example of the former is all the immigrants from Mexico and Central American counties who live in the United States, while a good example of the latter is the many retired British ex-pats who choose to make their life in Spain. For the poor in undeveloped countries the economic pressure to migrate are so high that when legal means are restricted, people immigrate illegally. In general, people are considered as an immigrant if they keep staying in the new country for more than one year.

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