Population Movement 1

International migration
EMIGRATION and IMMIGRATION:

- Movement from a country = emigration (e = exit)
- Movement into a country = immigration (i = into)
All countries have laws that govern immigration into them,

and people have to apply to immigrate. Even with
permission to immigrate, people are not usually given
citizenship immediately, but first have to live in the new
country for several years.
Only once they have been granted citizenship do
they get the passport of the new country, and the
same rights as people who were born there – the
natives of that country.
Sometimes people move from one country to

another without going through the proper
procedures, and obtain false travel documents. They
are sail to be illegal immigrants, and they can be sent
home (deported).
Regional migration
- Movement within a country = regional
migration
Many people move from one city to another, or from the

city to a rural area. These are both forms of reginal
migration.
Rural-urban migration
The most significant form of regional migration is the
movement of people from rural areas to cities = rural-
urban migration
Urbanisation
Movement of people from rural areas to urban

areas leads to an increase in the percentage of the
population living in urban areas.
This increase in the percentage of people that live

in urban areas is called urbanisation.
Over time, the world’s population has become
increasingly urbanised.
Voluntary and forced migration
- If something is voluntary, it means that a person can
choose whether to do it or not.
- If people choose to move from one place to
another, this movement is voluntary migration.
- When people have to move, whether they want to
or not, this migration is called forced migration.
Causes of forced population
movements
1)Conflict (war, ethnic or religious conflict within a
country)
2)Development (the building of a new airport on or
declaration of a new nature reserve in a place
where people live.
3)Disasters, which can be natural (a flood,
earthquake or human made – nuclear explosion).
Effects of forced population movements
People who are forced to leave their home often leave in a hurry:
- They have to leave homes, jobs and professions behind.

- Family members often get separated from each other.
People who are forced to leave their home may experience the
following when they arrive at their destination:
- Have to live in inadequate shelter, and do not have access to

adequate sanitation, water and food = many get sick.
- Their children miss out on schooling.
- They often have no way of earning a living, and loose confidence
in themselves.
- Because they are desperate, they are often
exploited.
- People are sometimes hostile to them
- Trauma from the whole experience of the move.
Many people who have been forced to migrate do

manage to find a home and work and gradually
build a new life for themselves; some eventually return
to their original home and build their life again there.
Causes of voluntary population movements
Generally, people move voluntarily because they believe that their
move will improve the quality of their life in some way.
E.S Lee devised the model shown to help us understand people’s

reasons for migrating.
Lee’s model shows that there are positive factors and negative
factors in both the place where the person lives (origin of move) and
in the place where the person is thinking of moving to (the
destination). The positive factors will pull the person toward the place
(we call these pull factors).
The negative factors push the person away (push factors). In
deciding to move, people weighs up the push and pull factors in
each place and then decides to move or not.
Effects of voluntary migration
The effects depend a lot on the characteristics of the people
migrating, and what the places of origin and destination are like.
Some general points about the impact of migration on the migrants

and the impact on the places of origin and destination:
• Provide scarce skills in destination countries or regions

• Can increase skill shortages in the place of origin.
• “brain drain” refers to the loss of professional people though
emigration.
- Mainly younger people who migrate.
- This boosts the active workplace in the place of destination
- Leaves a higher proportion of older people in the place of origin,
with fewer people to look after them.
▪ Migration reduces unemployment problems in the place of origin.
▪ It can increase unemployment problems in the place of

destination, especially if the migrants are unskilled and struggle to
find work.
❑Migrants can strain the social services in the place they are moving
to
❑Can relieve pressure on services in the place they are moving from.
❑ In less developed countries, rapid urbanisation meant that cities cannot
cope with the increased number of people.
❑ This adds to housing shortages, and to the poor provision of sanitation

and the other services.
❖ Migrants are often exploited, especially if they are illegal international

immigrants.
❖ They often work long hours for little money and have no job security.
➢ Many migrants send money home to family in the places they have
come from.
➢ This money is lost to the destination economy, but it benefits the place
of origin.
o If many people move away from a place, there is less money to
support local businesses and also less demand of service such as
schools and clinics.
o Gradually businesses close, which increase unemployment and

makes it harder for people to get the things they need locally.
o Population shrinks, local authorities find it too expensive to maintain

schools, clinics and other services.
• In international migrations, the countries to which many people go

become increasingly multicultural (host countries).
• This enriches the host countries as the migrants introduce new

foods, languages, religions and music and other art forms.
Temporary and permanent movements
Sometimes when people move, they stay in the place of destination
forever, and do not return to their place of origin = their move is
permanent.
When people move to a destination for a period of time, and then

return home = their move is temporary.
1) ECONOMIC MIGRANTS:
are people who move from their own home to another place
because they believe that they will be able to find employment or a
better job there, and so improve their quality of life.
(Job opportunities / Health care / Education)
2) MIGRANT LABOUR:
these migrants fill gaps in the labour force for a period of time, and
then are expected to return home, or move elsewhere. They are
known as migrant labourers (contract workers / guest workers)
They are generally temporary migrants, though some do eventually

settle permanently in their host country or region.
3) POLITICAL MIGRANTS:
are people who leave their own country because they are unable to
express their political opinions freely there.
4) REFUGEES:
some people who are forced to move from their own country to
another are considered to be refugees.
- a person who cannot return to their own country because of a

well founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion,
nationality, political association or political opinion.
- They can return home once it is safe / better.
- when people flee to another country seeking safety, they
have to register with the immigration officials, and apply for
asylum (protection against the dangers they are facing at
home).
- if the immigration officials decide that they do need this

protection, they will be given refugee status – this usually
means they will get the same rights as citizens of the host
country, except the right to vote.
- the host country agrees not to force refugees to return to

their home country.
REFUGEES IN SOUTH AFRICA:
South Africa did not recognise refugees until 1993,

and it was only after the transition to democracy that
SA became a signatory to the United Nations and
Organisation of African Unity conventions on
refugees. Since then, SA has become an important
destination for refugees from the rest of Africa.
Attitudes to migrants
▪ How similar the migrants are to the host country’s population –
which is linked to racism and prejudice.
▪ Whether the host population feels threatened in any way by the

migrants; threats include loss of job opportunities and also crime
▪ How useful the migrants appear to be the host population
▪ The number of migrants
▪ How well a person actually knows an immigrant
▪ The way migrants are portrayed in the media.

Xenophobia
Some people have a very negative attitude to foreign migrants in
their country = Xenophobia.
Xenophobia is an unreasonable fear, distrust, or hatred of strangers,

foreigners, or anything perceived as foreign or different.
This leads to mass expulsion of certain groups from a country, brutal

assaults, murder, and destruction of peoples’ properties and
businesses.
There has been incidents of xenophobic attacks on immigrants in SA.

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International migration

EMIGRATION and IMMIGRATION:

All countries have laws that govern immigration into them,

Sometimes people move from one country to

Many people move from one city to another, or from the

Movement of people from rural areas to urban

This increase in the percentage of people that live

- They have to leave homes, jobs and professions behind.

- Have to live in inadequate shelter, and do not have access to

Many people who have been forced to migrate do

E.S Lee devised the model shown to help us understand people’s

Some general points about the impact of migration on the migrants

• Provide scarce skills in destination countries or regions

▪ Migration reduces unemployment problems in the place of origin.

▪ It can increase unemployment problems in the place of

❑ This adds to housing shortages, and to the poor provision of sanitation

❖ Migrants are often exploited, especially if they are illegal international

o Gradually businesses close, which increase unemployment and

o Population shrinks, local authorities find it too expensive to maintain

• In international migrations, the countries to which many people go

• This enriches the host countries as the migrants introduce new

When people move to a destination for a period of time, and then

They are generally temporary migrants, though some do eventually

- a person who cannot return to their own country because of a

- if the immigration officials decide that they do need this

- the host country agrees not to force refugees to return to

South Africa did not recognise refugees until 1993,

▪ Whether the host population feels threatened in any way by the

▪ How useful the migrants appear to be the host population

▪ The number of migrants

▪ How well a person actually knows an immigrant

▪ The way migrants are portrayed in the media.

Xenophobia is an unreasonable fear, distrust, or hatred of strangers,

This leads to mass expulsion of certain groups from a country, brutal

There has been incidents of xenophobic attacks on immigrants in SA.

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