Migrants

A migrant is a person who is moving from one place to another. Someone may be considered a
migrant regardless of a person's legal status, the cause of migration (voluntary or involuntary), or
how long they intend to stay.

There are different types of migrants. Let's define them.

Asylum seeker: this is a person who is applying for asylum. Usually, asylum seekers have had to
flee their home countries and cannot return due to fear of persecution, or even death. An asylum
seeker searches for international protection, however, the claim for refugee status has not yet
(and may not at all) been granted.

Refugee: A refugee describes someone who is leaving a country (or fleeing), due to things like
conflict or natural disaster, or other forms of persecution. Legally speaking, a refugee is an
asylum seeker whose claim for asylum has been successful, meaning they are granted refugee
status in a new country to live there permanently.
Economic migrant: a person who has voluntarily left their country of origin to seek, by legal or
illegal means, employment in another country.
Labour migration
Labour migration is the movement of individuals from one country to another for work, or in
response to recruitment drives. High-skilled labour migration is a type of migration most
demanded by host countries looking to attract highly skilled workers. In most cases, countries
seek highly skilled workers in certain occupations when there is a shortage. This type of
migration is not as common.
Example The Skilled Occupation List (SOL) of Australia offers an example. This is a list that
displays the job sectors where there is a shortage.
Temporary migration is also a characteristic of labour migration, where people migrate for the
specific purpose of working. In some cases, people may migrate who have low skill levels,
leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and human rights violations. In some cases, this
migration can be illegal.

Within many countries, the ability to migrate is dependent on the skill level or education. In
some places, like Australia, this is more visible, with their point-based entry system. In the EU,
this is not as common, therefore more unskilled worker migration can be facilitated.
Forced migration
Forced migration may occur when people are forced to flee their home country due to conflict or
political repression (refugees and asylum seekers). Forced migration can also happen due to
natural disasters, limited food production and water insecurity, (often exacerbated by climate
change). Human trafficking is also characterized by forced migration.
International Retirement Migration (IRM)
Retired people may have the financial power to buy properties abroad, which can be either a first
or a second home. These people put a lot of pressure on urbanisation and the mass construction
of housing, significantly in coastal and rural areas. This type of migration can also include people
leaving their job and moving to a rural location in another country. These people may telework or
set up a business.
Internal migration
Separately to international and global migration, this type of migration involves a person moving
from one area to another within the same country, such as from the north of England to the south
of England. No international borders are crossed. This type of migration crosses over with
'Rural-Urban' migration, or 'Counter-Urbanization'.

Why do people migrate?

International migration can have so-called 'push' and 'pull' factors:
Push factors
Wars, conflict, political instability, and economic crisis
Ethnic and religious persecution
Natural and man-made disasters, such as earthquakes
Poverty
Unemployment, low wages and poor working conditions
Shortages of food, water, or healthcare
Limited opportunities
Pull factors
Better quality of life and standard of living
Varied employment opportunities, higher wages
Better healthcare and access to education services
Political stability, more freedom
Better life prospects
For retirees; a range of services to cater to their needs, or environmental characteristics, such as
the coast.
Implications of global migration
When we consider the implications of global migration, we divide them into demographic, health
and social, economic, political and environmental implications:

Demographic implications
In the origin country, populations of childbearing age will leave, causing birth rates to drop,
Younger workers tend to migrate, leaving behind an older generation, resulting in an unbalanced
and ageing population in the origin country. Comparatively, in the host country, the youthful
working population will boom, birth rates may increase, and general population numbers will
rise. In some cases, male migrants may dominate, creating a further gender imbalance in both
origin and host countries.

Health and social implications

Demographic and population change can relieve pressure on healthcare and education systems, if
population rates reduce in an origin country. More significantly, however, there may also be a
loss of qualified workers (doctors, nurses, teachers), due to increased wages and better prospects
elsewhere, which can impact the economy and development levels. In the host country, pressure
on schools (specifically primary schools) and healthcare services (maternal and infant) may
increase, as the population rises. Ethnic and racial tensions may also increase, alongside
segregation issues. Some migrants, particularly asylum seekers and refugees, are vulnerable to
human trafficking. The movement of people away from an origin country can cause a break-up
of communities, family units, and even a loss of traditional culture. On the other hand, cultural
diversity will increase in the host country, with the introduction of new foods, music, and
fashion.

Economic implications
In the origin country, there may be a reduction in pressures on food, water and energy supplies,
reduced agricultural and industrial production, as well as a general decline in services, with
fewer people to support them. With a reduced workforce and the loss of the most educated and
skilled workforce members, development is hindered. Migrants often send money back to their
origin country in the form of remittances; this is often not enough to support the economic
decline from migration, which may cause dependency. In some cases, migrants can develop new
skills to be able to bring back to their origin country.
In the host country, the workforce will increase, overcoming any labour or specific skill
shortages, and the economy can be improved, as migrants spend money and pay taxes. However,
pressure on jobs may lead to higher unemployment rates during periods of economic downturn,
and the workforce may become more competitive, where migrants are typically willing to work
longer and harder for relatively low pay. In times of recession, migrant resentment may be
higher.

Political implications
In the origin country, pressure may increase for policies to be initiated to re-develop areas which
are declining. Other policies may also be introduced, such as pro-natal policies, or even
incentives to help retain skilled workers. Some governments of countries with high populations
may encourage migration for socio-economic advantages, or as an anti-natal strategy. In the host
country, however, more issues could occur; with negative views toward migration, pressure for
migration control may rise, as well as anti-immigration political parties, and right-wing
organisations. With more nationalistic views, migration can often clash. In some places, 'closed-
door' migration policies exist, which can hinder movement. Think about the UK and Brexit, or
even North Korea.

Environmental implications
In the origin country, abandonment can occur; farmland, buildings, and whole villages can be left
behind, while environmental management also decreases. In the host country, there may be
increased pressure on land for development and infrastructure, such as roads or housing.
Resource pressure will also increase, as the demand for energy, water, and food rises.

Using examples in your exam answers is vital, think about migration examples such as the
migration of Turkish people to Germany.
Global Compact for Migration
Approximately 258 million people around the world are migrants. This number is expected to
grow as the population increases, trade improves, and inequality rises. While migration can be
extremely beneficial, poorly regulated migration can pose significant challenges. The social
infrastructures of the host country can often be overwhelmed, or dangerous migrant journeys can
increase the likelihood of migrant death.
What is the GCM?
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) is a governmental
agreement prepared under the United Nations' sponsorship.
It was decided by the UN General Assembly in 2016 that an agreement should be developed to
make migration safer. The development process started in April 2017, and in July 2018, the UN
finalised the text for the GCM. This GCM was formally endorsed in December 2018, through
voting. 152 countries voted in favour, 5voted against, 12 remained neutral, and 24 didn't vote.

The GCM is not an international treaty; it is a non-binding scheme under international law.

The GCM is known as a compact. There are no laws for countries to abide by. Instead, it has
commitments or goals that countries are aiming to achieve. This means looking into the factors
that push people to migrate and investing in ways to give people a better quality of life. When
migration is necessary, the aim is to create conditions that enable migrants to move under safer
circumstances, protect migrants from discrimination, and recognise their ontributions to the new
societies they move to.

Global migration crisis

According to the UN Refugee Agency, at the end of 2020, 82.4 million people worldwide have
been forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations,
climate, or events seriously disturbing public order. The number of refugees has never been
higher in modern history. This global migration crisis is better known as a refugee crisis. Refugee
crises can refer to large groups of displaced people. They could be internally displaced persons,
refugees, asylum seekers or any other big group of migrants. A refugee crisis can help to
demonstrate incidents in a country of origin, problems while on the move, and problems in the
hosting country after arrival.

In the past decade alone, the global refugee population has more than doubled. It is estimated
that more than 82 million people have been forced from their homes worldwide. Among them,
26 million are refugees, the highest population on record. The displacement of people can be
caused by war and conflict, human rights violations, environmental and climatic issues, as well
as economic hardship.

2/3 of all global refugees migrate from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and
Myanmar.

Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM)

Since the Treaty of Amsterdam, the EU has developed several instruments outlining cooperation
with third countries in managing migration, borders, and asylum. This is known as the Global
Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM). This overarching framework of the European
Union's external migration policy is based on partnerships with non-EU countries.

The Treaty of Amsterdam was signed on 2 October 1997 and entered into force on 1 May 1999.
Under this treaty, member states agreed to transfer certain powers from national governments to
the European Parliament across various areas, including legislation on immigration.

In December 2005, GAMM was published, which aimed to present a comprehensive plan to
confront the problem of human trafficking and to solve the crises that arise from mass and
irregular migration, through cooperation with third countries (both origin and transit). The initial
focus was on Africa and the Mediterranean, which were identified as the main origin regions of
migrants in Europe.

GAMM follows 4 priorities:

Managing, organising and assisting in the movement of legal migrants

Prevent dangerous migration, i.e., human trafficking
Maximising the development impact of migration and mobility
Promoting international protection and enhancing the external dimensions of asylum policies
Global Migration - Key takeaways
Global migration refers to the international movement of people across borders, either voluntary
or involuntary. The 3 types of migrants are asylum seekers, economic migrants and refugees.
Migration can happen for several reas
Inspection and supervision terms are oftentimes used interchangeably in many applications.
There is, however, a notable difference between the terms. Also, there is a significant difference
between the scope of work done by inspectors and supervisors. This article unfolds this
difference to clear the confusion in interchangeable usage of these two terms.
What is inspection?
An inspection is a task or assessment of fault-finding and fact-finding in many job settings. In
the education system, for instance, an inspectorate system may be implemented to carry out
inspection roles and responsibilities. The system’s duty would be to continually assess the
standard and quality of education provided to learners. It will, among others, inspect how
teachers deliver education, and how are the objectives of the national department achieved.
Inspectors in any job setting could be tasked with the roles to ensure that work is done effectively
and perfectly. The inspection may be scheduled on a time to time basis whereas supervision, on
the other hand, is oftentimes continuous.