Global Migration Patterns: International Migration trends in the
UK
Contemporary patterns of global migration (international):
- Global migration involves dynamic flows of people between
countries, regions and continents – patterns constantly change in
number and direction
- There has been significant growth in the number of people
migrating across international borders in the 21st century.
- In 2015, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),
244 million people- 3.3% of the world population- were living
outside their country of origin
- Migration is inextricably linked to globalisation processes
- Places are increasingly interconnected and it is not surprising that
the magnitude, complexity and impact of global migration make it a
priority issue for almost all nations. Migration policies, border control
and migrant safety have become increasingly important issues and
more important politically
- International migration occurs at differing scales: between
neighbouring countries in Europe such as France and Germany;
across the globe between the UK and Australia; and between major
global regions such as Africa and Europe
- The reasons for migration are diverse and the decisions of potential
international migrants depend on many factors
Different types of migrants
- Economic migrants - migrating seeking work and social
opportunities, often sending money back to their family, known as
migrant remittances (in 2014, 178,000 migrants arriving in the UK
had secured work before arrival out of total of 641,000 arrivals),
globally, the majority of migrants are economic migrants
- Refugees - fleeing conflict or persecution in their home country
and they have been given permission to remain in a host country
- Asylum seekers - fleeing conflict or persecution in their home
country, awaiting permission to stay
- Long term migrant – person who moves to a country other than
his or her usual residence for a period of at least a year. Short term
is at least 3 months but less than one year
The impact of migration has affected every country either as a place of
origin, transit or destination. The consequences are demographic,
economic, social, cultural, environmental, and political. The vast majority
of migrants make meaningful contributions to host countries. But at the
same time international migration entails loss of human resources from
countries of origin and may lead to tensions in the country of destination.
, Lesson 1
Global Migration
Current spatial patterns in international migrant flows:
International migration (e.g., the changing UK population)
International migration is one element of total population change in a
country. The formula for this is: Population change = (birth-deaths)
+/- international migration (+immigrants and emigrants)
It is very difficult to compare migration between countries due to many
illegal immigrants and variations in definitions of the term ‘ international
migrant’. The fact that the migration figures are estimate points to the
issue of defining an international migrant. Lack of uniformity among
countries creates difficulty in obtaining accurate, reliable and comparable
statistics. This is compounded by the many undocumented, illegal
migrations.
Net migration is the difference between number of immigrants (arrivals)
and emigrants (leavers) for a particular country. In 2014, the UK had an
estimated net migration (positive) gain of 318,000. In 2015, it rose to a
gain of 330,000. But in 2016, it fell to a gain of 248,000. According to
Eurostat, EU countries with the largest net migration gain in 2013 were
Italy, 1.18 million and Germany 466,254. Those with the greatest net
migration loss were Spain (265849) and Greece (52,000)
Net migration to the UK was estimated to be 248,000 in 2016 - a fall of
84,000 from 2015, figures show. The Office for National Statistics said the
change was driven by "a statistically significant" increase of 40,000
people leaving the country. These were mostly EU citizens - 117,000
emigrated, up 31,000 from 2015.
Net migration is the difference between people coming to the UK for more
than a year, and the number of people leaving the UK for a year or more.
The ONS report for 2016 includes six months of data following the EU
referendum. Its figures for the year estimated immigration at 588,000,
with emigration of 339,000. The difference between the two gives the
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