Types of migrants

This section looks at the main categories of migrants and the types of migration in the contemporary world. Migrants tend to move across different categories as their circumstances and that of their home countries change.

Jatinder begin her final year in high school the family joined dad in England.
Introduction

People migrate for many reasons, including economic, political, environmental factors, or to join a family member. This section explores these categories through case studies of real life migrants.

Economic Migrants

Economic migration is the movement of people from one country to another to benefit from greater economic opportunities. It is often assumed that such migration is primarily from less economically developed countries to the more economically developed countries and from former colonies to the country that was the imperial power.

Political Migrants

Many people are forced to migrate because of a war, civil war or state policies which discriminate against particular groups of citizens or people who oppose those in power. These people are unable to return home because they have fears of being persecuted and are unlikely to receive any protection from their government.

Environmental Migrants

Environmental migrants are people who are forced to migrate from or flee their home region due to sudden or long-term changes to their local environment which adversely affects their well being or livelihood.

Family Reunion

This form of migration refers to members of a family coming to join one of their relatives who is resident in another country. This commonly includes fiancé(e)s, (proposed) civil partners, spouses, or unmarried or same-sex partners, dependent children and elderly relatives.