Types of Migration

We explain what the types of migration are and their characteristics. Also, the difference between emigration and immigration, and examples.

What are the types of migration?

The migration It is the movement of an individual or a group from the place they live to a new destination to settle there seasonally or permanently. It is a very ancient phenomenon, which plays an important role in the formation of civilizations, since it allows cultural and ethnic exchange. Those who migrate are known as “migrants.”

There are different criteria to classify migration many of which are used by those who study this type of human displacement. Some of them are:

• The geographical destination that is, where the migrants are going. Based on this criterion, migrations can be internal or external.
• The duration of the trip that is, how much time migrants spend at their destination. This criterion defines whether migrations are seasonal or permanent.
• The legal status of migrants that is, whether or not its arrival occurs according to the laws of destiny. In relation to this criterion, there are legal and illegal migrations.
• The degree of freedom of migrants. According to this criterion, one can speak of voluntary or forced migrations.
• The age of the migrants. This criterion determines whether these are adult, child or senior migrations.

Furthermore, when studying migration, Two contrasting and complementary concepts are usually distinguished: emigration and immigration.. Thus, we speak of emigration to refer to the departure of migrants from their country of origin, and of immigration to refer to the arrival of migrants to their country of destination. All emigration is at the same time an immigration, and vice versa.

Migration should not be confused with the way of life of nomadic populations, those who go from one place to another without settling permanently; nor with tourism, since travelers travel temporarily and for pleasure.

Depending on geographic destination

Depending on where they are going, migrations can be of two types:

• Internal migrations. They are those whose displacement occurs within the same region, state or country. That is, when the origin and destination of the migrants are in the same political or administrative region. For example, migration from rural to urban areas in the same country.
• External migrations. They are those whose displacement occurs to a country or political region different from that of origin of the migrants. For example, the migration of Mexican workers to the United States.

Depending on the duration of the trip

Depending on how long the migrants stay in the destination country, there are two types of migration:

• Seasonal migrations. They are those that last a certain period of time, at the end of which the migrants return to their place of origin. They can last one season or several years.
• Definitive migrations. They are those in which migrants have no plans to return to their place of origin, so they are assumed forever.

According to the legal status of the migrants

Depending on the legal status of migrants in the destination country, two types of migration can be distinguished:

• Legal migrations. They are those that obey the laws, restrictions and procedures imposed by the regulations of the destination country, and whose migrants have, therefore, all their necessary permits and documents. For example, the settlement of qualified workers in a European country, coming from another member country of the European Union.
• Illegal migrations. They are those that do not obey the laws and regulations of the destination country, which is why they are produced clandestinely, secretly and often contrary to the law. For example, the illegal entry of Mexican workers across the southern border of the United States.

According to the degree of freedom of the migrants

Depending on the motives and disposition of the migrants, migrations can be of two types:

• Voluntary migrations. They are those that occur due to free choice and the search for an improvement in the quality of life. For example, economic migrants who leave for another country to look for better job opportunities.
• Forced migrations. They are those that occur for reasons beyond the control of the migrants, such as political crises, religious persecutions, wars, environmental disasters or other phenomena that put the lives of migrants at risk.

According to the age of the migrants

Depending on the age range of the migrants, that is, the predominant age in the migratory group, three types of migration can be distinguished:

• Adult migrations. They are those in which adult individuals of working and reproductive age predominate. It is the most common type of migration.
• Child migrations. They are those in which children migrate together with their parents or alone.
• Migrations of the elderly. They are those in which the elderly and older adults predominate among the migrants. They are very rare and are usually forced type.

Examples of migrations

Some examples of migrations throughout history are:

European migration during World War II

Between 1939 and 1945, thousands of people emigrated from Europe to different destinations in America, escaping the war and persecution by the Nazis. Records estimated a total of thirty million displaced people at the end of the conflict.

Those displaced by wars in the Middle East

The continuous conflicts and wars in Middle Eastern countries such as Libya, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, at the beginning of the 21st century, have produced a wave of migrants from these countries destined both for other nations in the region and for destinations much further away. , like Europe and the United States.

Colombian emigration to Venezuela in the 20th century

Starting in 1950 and throughout the following thirty or forty years, there was a massive displacement of Colombian citizens to the neighboring country. This was due to the economic attractiveness of the oil “boom” in Venezuela and the worsening of the Colombian internal conflict. According to records, about 5.6 million Colombian immigrants were naturalized in Venezuela in that period.

The caravan of the Northern Triangle of Central America

The Northern Triangle caravan of Central America is a migratory flow that began in 2018 and today includes almost 450,000 migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, whose final destination is the United States. Driven by social inequality, political instability, violence and poverty in their countries, this mass of migrants causes significant tensions in the region and especially in Mexico, a country that acts as a migratory bridge to its northern borders.

The historic Chinese emigration

Since ancient times, China's population has migrated to the rest of the world. This phenomenon has had several moments of intensity, such as the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) or the Chinese civil war (1927-1949), and has resulted in the globalization of its culture and gastronomy. The influence of Chinese emigrants has not only become evident in border countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, but also in distant regions such as Peru and the United States.

Differences between emigration and immigration

When migration is studied, two contrasting and complementary concepts are usually distinguished: emigration and immigration. This depends on the direction of your movement:

• Emigration. When individuals leave their place of origin, they are considered “emigrants.” Therefore, emigration means a loss of population for your country.
• Immigration. When individuals settle in a new territory, they are considered “immigrants.” Therefore, immigration means a population gain for the destination country.

Emigration and immigration are two different sides of the same coin: every emigrant is at the same time an immigrant and vice versa depending on whether the prospect is set in their home or destination country, respectively.

At the same time, emigration and immigration are complex phenomena that carry both positive and negative consequences for the two territories involved.

For example, a high immigration rate in a country can lead to overpopulation and, by increasing the demand for goods and services, affect the availability of public services; although it also increases the workforce and the number of consumers. At the same time, a high emigration rate can cause shortages, scarcity of services and lack of development in the migrants' place of origin.

Continue with:

document.addEventListener(“DOMContentLoaded”, (e) => {

var sliderContainer, slider;
sliderContainer = document.getElementById(‘block_a297b7cf457a0102c30ec0a42cc69f23’);

if (typeof initSlider !== ‘function’) {

console.log(‘Swiper haven\’t been loaded’);
sliderContainer.className += ‘ fw scroll-snap’;
return;

};

options = {
direction: ‘horizontal’,
speed: 1000,

slidesPerView: ‘auto’,
// slidesPerGroup: 1,

centerInsufficientSlides: true,
// centeredSlides:true,

spaceBetween: 15,
breakpoints: {
720: {
// centeredSlides: false,
// slidesPerGroup: 2,
spaceBetween: 25
},
},

pagination: {
el: ‘.swiper-pagination’,
type: ‘bullets’,
clickable: true
},
}

slider = initSlider(sliderContainer, options);
})

References

• UNHCR. (sf). Asylum and migration. https://www.acnur.org/
• International Organization for Migration. (2024). What are the names of people who move within the same country? https://rosanjose.iom.int/
• Royal Spanish Academy. (2023). Migration. Dictionary of the Spanish language. https://dle.rae.es/
• The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2023). Human migration. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/