Consequances of International Migration (Edexcel A Level Geography)

Impacts of Migration

• Migration changes the cultural and ethnic composition of nation states

• The openness of government policies can determine the rate of assimilation e.g. Singapore’s migration policy results in a ‘melting pot’ of cultures and identities

• The rate of assimilation of migrants varies, particularly when there are distinctive ethnic differences

• Ethnicity is the shared identity of an ethnic group and can be based on shared ancestral roots or cultural characteristics such as food, religion, clothing or language

• If the country is already a multi-cultural/multi-racial society there is a greater rate of assimilation

• A greater level of diversity is brought to places, but doesn't necessarily mean there is a change of race - in Greater Manchester, some areas have a high concentration of Asian/Asian British population, but Manchester is not changing its racial composition as a result

• Other places are more mixed, suggesting some assimilation through inter-marriage, social mixing and shared cultural life and work

  • An area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks was known as Tiger Bay, (now Cardiff Bay) and is Wales’ oldest multi-ethnic community, with sailors and workers from over 50 countries settling there from the mid-19th century onwards

  • All these nationalities helped to create the multicultural character of the area, where people from different backgrounds socialised and intermarried

• Highly segregated places can be problematic as deprivation, inequality and discrimination leads to some ethnic groups suffering above average rates of health issues, poverty and unemployment

• Historical policies that enforced segregation in the past can reduce the rate of assimilation e.g. in South Africa the rate
  of assimilation is low due to the lasting effects of the apartheid system

• Not all segregation is forced, but will depend upon whether the migrants embed themselves in the national culture or reside solely in ethnic enclaves

  • Italian, Chinese, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities often hold onto their own culture and traditions - China Town in the City of Westminster, London, or Little Italy in New York

  • Centres of worship 'anchor' diaspora groups to certain areas, along with dietary needs, e.g. Jewish community need for kosher meat and bakery 

  • Differences in religion can lead to reduced assimilation rates, as migrants religious beliefs may conflict with the values and traditions of the country they have moved to

• The rise of far-right nationalist groups can mean that migrant groups are not accepted

• The amount of time that migrants are resident in the host nation influences the rate of assimilation

  • Diversity rates lessen over time - in the 2011 UK census, 77% of people resident in the UK for more than 30 years identified as having a UK identity, compared to just 10% for recent arrivals

• The ability of migrants to speak the local language can increase the rate of assimilation, particularly as they can gain employment and participate in the community

Migration & Political Tensions

• Migration causes political tensions because of differences in perceptions of the social, economic, cultural and demographic impacts

• It is a major global issue, with about 3% of the world’s population living outside their country of birth (approx. 272 million people) - 2/3rds of these are economic migrants

• In the past, it has had a huge impact on both donor and receiving nations

• In terms of the receiving countries, the consequences have generally been beneficial

• But today, few countries support or want a large influx of outsiders, for a variety of reasons

  • Immigrants will vote for parties' centre or left and not to the right as these tend to be against migration 

  • Immigrants will head for economic core regions and to inner city regions and can impact on voting patterns 

  • When immigrant groups reach a certain size and standing, they begin to develop their own politicians instead of people from the host society 

  • High levels of migration into one country can lead to political tension - Mexico/US. Whilst developing countries look more favourably on international migrants 

  • Environmental issues are based on the premise that migrants put excessive strain on environmental systems, but others feel this is a way of curtailing immigration

• The most well-known example is the Mexico/US border

  • Between 1900 and 1920 24 million new arrivals were registered due to the 'open door' policy of that time

  • Subsequently, migration restrictions have been introduced, with the US Green Card becoming harder to obtain

  • Now, there are approximately 40 million non-US born citizens, with many more undocumented, illegal migrants

  • Due in part to increased immigration enforcement and to a strengthening Mexican economy. In recent years, the number of Mexicans leaving the United States is greater than inward migration, even though the country remains the top destination for Mexican emigrants

  • Since 2013, Mexico stopped being the top country of origin to the United States, overtaken by India and China

  • Infact, most migrants into the US, are more likely to be college graduates, than field workers of prior decades

Gains and Losses for Mexico

Gains and Losses for USA

Barriers to Migration

• There are variations in the ability of people to migrate across national borders according to levels of skill and income; and opportunities, including the presence or absence of controls and international borders

• Based on the idea of how attractive an immigrant is to a destination country

Occupation shortages

• New Zealand and Australia, for example, operates a points-based system which admits those immigrants that have the skill set that the country’s economy currently requires

• Often the immigrant must also prove that they are able to support themselves financially for an initial period of time, until they have contributed enough to the country’s welfare system to receive support from it in times of need

• This obviously means that immigrants from an HDE have a better chance of migrating into that country, as they will have had more chance of acquiring the skills and experience than an economy like New Zealand’s requires

• In other areas, such as the EU, agreements like Schengen, which means that unskilled workers can move to other EU countries freely and without hindrance

• This obviously gives them an advantage over potential immigrants from outside the EU area

Sponsored migration

• Other nations, for example the USA, have more stringent immigration policies and potential migrants have to qualify by gaining a green card in a lottery or prove that they have a job offer before they go

• They also need to be sponsored by a US citizen or company, and be employed in a job that no other US citizen could reasonably undertake

• Other countries limit travel opportunities for their population, for example North Korea and China

• People from LDE nations' such as those in North Africa, may lack the financial resources or skills/levels of education that other more attractive economies may require

• They then travel as unskilled workers, or they may travel illegally or try to claim refugee status. As a result, they can end up in camps like the ‘Jungle’ in Calais while they wait to get to the UK, or find themselves in situations where they are open to exploitation or illegal status where they risk deportation

Illegal migration

• Some countries have little or no control over their borders due to:

  • Long borders, particularly coastlines e.g. Greece has a lot of islands

  • Conflict which reduces central government control over its country

  • International conflict which motivates people to migrate, which can create an underground market for trafficking - Ukraine/Russia conflict