Impacts of Migration

What do you think, are the impacts of migration? Are the impacts always positive? Let us try to find the answers to these questions.

Migration is caused by the uneven distribution of opportunities over space. People move from areas of low opportunity and low safety to higher opportunity and better safety. This, in turn, creates both positive and negative effects for the areas from where people migrate (donor regions) and in the areas where they migrate to (receiver regions).

These impacts of migration are given below:

Donor Region

Positive Effects or Impacts of Migration:

� Emigration reduces the population density of the donor region. This reduces the pressure on resources in the area including basic necessities like food, housing, education, and healthcare.

Here, what is the meaning of the term �emigration�?

Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere.

Emigration

� Emigration reduces birth rates, as those who migrate are young adults, who can raise a family. This helps to control the population.
� Reduces under-employment in the donor region.
� Migrants send back the money (remittances) to their families. This money is invested in some projects like buying property, jewelry, vehicles, or starting a business. It improves the standard of living.
� Migrants act as agents of social change. The new ideas related to new technologies, family planning, girls' education, sanitation, cleanliness, get diffused from urban to rural areas through migrants.
� Migration leads to the intermingling of people from diverse cultures, which leads to the evolution of composite culture. It also breaks down the narrow considerations and widens up the mental horizon of the people at large. When these emigrants return to their homeland they carry with them this broad perspective that helps to break old obsolete ideas and superstitions.

Negative Effects or Impacts of Migration:

� Age and skill selective migration have serious demographic issues in donor regions. It increases the sex ratio as the number of males is significantly reduced.
� Emigration leads to loss of labor. This slows down the economic development of the donor region.
� Emigration reduces the population of young people of working age. It puts extra physical and mental pressure on the existing population.
� Remittances sent to families many times lead the young people in the donor regions to go astray and fall into the trap of alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc.
� Migrants introduce the new technologies in their homes in the rural areas. Often people give up their traditional ways of living and use more electricity, fertilizers, etc. which prove detrimental to the serene rural environment.
� Emigrantsoften give up their own culture and beliefs. They adopt the culture of the receiver region and when they return to their homes, they often tend to influence their families with their newfound beliefs. These beliefs get absorbed and become more profound over generations.

Reciever Region

Positive Effects or Impacts of Migration:

� Immigration increases the supply of labor. The receiver country gets skilled labor at a reduced cost. All this helps in the economic development of the receiver region.

Here, do you know the meaning of the term �immigration�?

Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens.

Immigration
� Immigration of people belonging to different races, religions, languages creates a multi-ethnic society. This enhances the understanding and tolerance among different groups.
� Immigration reduces underpopulation in regions where birth rates and death rates are low.
� Migrants often take up the less desirable jobs and that too at cheaper rates.

Negative Effects or Impacts of Migration:

� Immigration results in over-dependence of some industries migrant labor. Besides, much of the money earned by the immigrants are sent back to the donor regions.
� Segregated areas of similar ethnic groups emerge, which over time become citizens of the receiver nation and demand rights available to the local inhabitants. Sometimes discrimination against these ethnic groups and minorities may lead to civil unrest.
� Increased numbers of people add to the pressure on local resources, especially in already crowded cities.
� Jobs for the people of the receiver regions become less as they are taken up by the migrants.

MCQs

1. Immigration reduces _____ in receiver regions where birth rates and death rates are low.
a. Overpopulation
b. Migration
c. Movement
d. Underpopulation

2. _____ leads to loss of labor in the donor regions.
a. Immigration
b. Movement
c. Overpopulation
d. Emigration

3. _____ is caused by the uneven distribution of opportunities over space.
a. Overpopulation
b. Underpopulation
c. Movement
d. Migration

4. Jobs for the people of the _____ regions become less as they are taken up by the migrants.
a. Donor
b. Migration
c. Provider
d. Receiver

5. _____ often take up the less desirable jobs and that too at cheaper rates in receiver regions.
a. Native people
b. Young people
c. Labour
d. Migrants

Read More: What is Meant by Migration? Types: Permanent and Temporary Migration