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Not to be confused with Emigration or Migration.
Further information: Immigration by country

Immigration is the movement of people into a country to which they are not native in order to settle there, especially as permanent residents or future citizens.[1][2] Immigrants are motivated to leave their native countries for a variety of reasons, including a desire for economic prosperity, political issues, family re-unification, escaping conflict or natural disaster, or simply the wish to change one's surroundings. In 2013 the United Nations estimated that there were 231,522,215 immigrants in the world (apx. 3.25% of the global population).[3]


The global population of immigrants has grown since 1990 but has remained around 3% of the world's population.

As of 2005, the United Nations reported that there were nearly 191 million international immigrants worldwide, about 3 percent of the world population.[4] In 2013 the United Nations estimated that there were 231,522,215 immigrants in the world (apx. 3.25% of the global population).[3] while the number of immigrants increases along with the world's population the proportion of immigrants as part of the world's population remained relatively consistent since 1990. In 2005 60% of immigrants lived in developed countries while the rest lived in developing countries.

The Midwestern United States, some parts of Europe, some small areas of Southwest Asia, and a few spots in the East Indies have the highest percentages of immigrant population recorded by the UN Census 2005.[citation needed] The reliability of immigrant censuses is low due to the concealed character of undocumented labor migration.[citation needed]

2012 survey[edit]

A 2012 survey by Gallup found that given the opportunity, 640 million adults would migrate to another country with 23% of these would-be immigrant choosing the United States as their desired future residence, while 7% of respondents, representing 45 million people, would choose the United Kingdom. The other top desired destination countries (those where an estimated 69 million or more adults would like to go) were Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Germany and Spain.[5]

Understanding of Immigration[edit]

London has become multiethnic as a result of immigration.[7] In London in 2008, Black British and British Asian children outnumbered white British children by about 3 to 2 in government-run schools.[8]

One theory of immigration distinguishes between push and pull factors.[9]

Push factors refer primarily the motive for immigration from the country of origin. In the case of economic migration (usually labor migration), differentials in wage rates are usual. If the value of wages in the new country surpasses the value of wages in one's native country, he or she may choose to migrate as long as the costs are not too high. Particularly in the 19th century, economic expansion of the US increased immigrant flow, and nearly 40% of the population was foreign born[citation needed] (versus today's values of 10%), thus making up a significant amount of the labor force. Poor individuals from less developed countries can have higher standards of living in developed countries than in their originating countries.[citation needed]

As transportation technology improved, travel time and costs decreased dramatically between the 18th and early 20th century. Travel across the Atlantic used to take up to 5 weeks in the 18th century, but around the time of the 20th century it took a mere 8 days.[10] When the opportunity cost is lower, the immigration rates tend to be higher.[10] Escape from poverty (personal or for relatives staying behind) is a traditional push factor, and the availability of jobs is the related pull factor. Natural disasters can amplify poverty-driven migration flows. This kind of migration may be illegal immigration in the destination country.[citation needed]


Emigration and immigration are sometimes mandatory in a contract of employment: religious missionaries and employees of transnational corporations, international non-governmental organizations, and the diplomatic service expect, by definition, to work "overseas". They are often referred to as "expatriates", and their conditions of employment are typically equal to or better than those applying in the host country (for similar work).[citation needed]

For some migrants, education is the primary pull factor (although most international students are not classified as immigrants). Retirement migration from rich countries to lower-cost countries with better climate is a new type of international migration. Examples include immigration of retired British citizens to Spain or Italy and of retired Canadian citizens to the US (mainly to the US states of Florida and Texas).[citation needed]

Non-economic push factors include persecution (religious and otherwise), frequent abuse, bullying, oppression, ethnic cleansing, genocide, risks to civilians during war, and social marginalization.[11][12] Political motives traditionally motivate refugee flows; for instance, people may emigrate in order to escape a dictatorship.[13]

Some migration is for personal reasons, based on a relationship (e.g. to be with family or a partner), such as in family reunification or transnational marriage (especially in the instance of a gender imbalance). Recent research has found gender, age, and cross-cultural differences in the ownership of the idea to immigrate.[14] In a few cases, an individual may wish to immigrate to a new country in a form of transferred patriotism. Evasion of criminal justice (e.g., avoiding arrest) is a personal motivation. This type of emigration and immigration is not normally legal, if a crime is internationally recognized, although criminals may disguise their identities or find other loopholes to evade detection. For example, there have been cases of those who might be guilty of war crimes disguising themselves as victims of war or conflict and then pursuing asylum in a different country.[citation needed]

Barriers to immigration come not only in legal form or political form; natural and social barriers to immigration can also be very powerful. Immigrants when leaving their country also leave everything familiar: their family, friends, support network, and culture. They also need to liquidate their assets, often at a large loss,[citation needed] and they incur the expense of moving. When they arrive in a new country, this is often with many uncertainties including finding work, where to live, new laws, new cultural norms, language or accent issues, possible racism, and other exclusionary behavior towards them and their family. These barriers act to limit international migration (scenarios where populations move en masse to other continents, creating huge population surges, and their associated strain on infrastructure and services, ignore these inherent limits on migration).[citation needed]


The politics of immigration have become increasingly associated with other issues, such as national security and terrorism, especially in western Europe, with the presence of Islam as a new major religion. Those with security concerns cite the 2005 French riots and point to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy as examples of the value conflicts arising from immigration of Muslims in Western Europe. Because of all these associations, immigration has become an emotional political issue in many European nations.[citation needed]

Studies have suggested that some special interest groups lobby for less immigration for their own group and more immigration for other groups since they see effects of immigration, such as increased labor competition, as detrimental when affecting their own group but beneficial when impacting other groups. A 2010 European study suggested that "employers are more likely to be pro-immigration than employees, provided that immigrants are thought to compete with employees who are already in the country. Or else, when immigrants are thought to compete with employers rather than employees, employers are more likely to be anti-immigration than employees."[16] A 2011 study examining the voting of US representatives on migration policy suggests that "representatives from more skilled labor abundant districts are more likely to support an open immigration policy towards the unskilled, whereas the opposite is true for representatives from more unskilled labor abundant districts."[17]

Another contributing factor may be lobbying by earlier immigrants. The Chairman for the US Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform—which lobby for more permissive rules for immigrants, as well as special arrangements just for Irish people—has stated that "the Irish Lobby will push for any special arrangement it can get—'as will every other ethnic group in the country.'"[18][19]

Economic Migrant[edit]

Further information: Economic migrant





Laws and Ethics[edit]






Economic effects[edit]

The Cato Institute finds little or no effect of immigration on the income of citizens belonging to established populations.[26] The Brookings Institution finds a 2.3% depression of wages from immigration from 1980 to 2007.[27] The Center for Immigration Studies finds a 3.7% depression wages from immigration from 1980 to 2000.[28] Research indicates that immigrants are more likely to work in risky jobs than U.S.-born workers, partly due to differences in average characteristics, such as immigrants' lower English language ability and educational attainment.[29] Further, some studies indicate that higher ethnic concentration in metropolitan areas is positively related to the probability of self-employment of immigrants.[30]

Toronto's unemployment rate was 6.7% in November 2010, including 19.7% among recent immigrants.[31]

Professional economic advisers suggest that lowering the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States would significantly strengthen its economy. [32]


Research has found that as immigration and ethnic heterogeneity increase, government funding of welfare and public support for welfare decrease. Ethnic nepotism may be an explanation for this phenomenon. Other possible explanations include theories regarding in-group and out-group effects and reciprocal altruism.[33]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ "immigration". 
  3. ^ a b Data blog, the Guardian, 2013,
  11. ^ Chiswick, Barry. "The Earnings of Male Hispanic Immigrants in the United States". 
  12. ^ Kislev, Elyakim. "The Effect of Minority/Majority Origins on Immigrants' Integration". 
  13. ^ Borjas, George. "The Earnings of Male Hispanic Immigrants in the United States". 
  14. ^ Rubin, M. (2013). "'It wasn't my idea to come here!': Ownership of the idea to immigrate as a function of gender, age, and culture". International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 37, 497-501. doi: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2013.02.001
  20. ^ Dustmann, Christian. "Labor market effects on immigration" (PDF). Business Source Elite. Retrieved 18 August 2014. 
  25. ^ "Family Reunification", Ramah McKay, Migration Policy Institute.
  27. ^ "Impact of Immigration on the Distribution of American Well-Being" (PDF). Brookings Institution. Retrieved 24 September 2010. [dead link]
  28. ^ "Increasing the Supply of Labor Through Immigration" (PDF). Center for Immigration Studies. May 2004. Retrieved 18 August 2014. 
  30. ^ Toussaint-Comeau, Maude (2005). "Do Enclaves Matter in Immigrants' Self-Employment Decision?" (PDF). Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Working Paper 2005-23. 
  32. ^

Further reading[edit]

  • Karakayali, Nedim. 2005. "Duality and Diversity in the Lives of Immigrant Children: Rethinking the 'Problem of Second Generation' in Light of Immigrant Autobiographies", Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 325–344.

External links[edit]