Causes and Effects of Immigration
International immigration is defined from the political point of view as the permanent movement of people or a group from one place to the other. It is an essential factor in human history because people have been moving from one country to the other in search of better opportunities or security. Immigration irrespective of whether it is legal or illegal is becoming an essential element of international relations, and it is controlled by national policies and regulations that apply to foreigners seeking citizenship in other countries. According to Rezouni, (2010) the world has approximately 200 million migrants of whom 90% are categorized as legal migrants while 10% are illegal foreigners. Legal immigrants are those people who enter the destination countries following the laid down policies while unlawful immigrants violate such rules. The causes and effects of immigration are many and vary depending on the situation in the home country and immigration policies of the foreign country.
Causes of immigration
Economic Opportunity
One of the fundamental reasons as to why people migrate to other countries especially to the United States is due to economic opportunities. Many underdeveloped countries suffer a crisis at the economic level which forces people to go abroad in search for money and work. Citizens who live in less developed countries voluntary choose to move to developed nations in favor of good working conditions and high salaries. In situations where an economy appears to be disadvantaged, people feel discomforted by the kind of wages they are offered thus compelling them to look for an alternative in other countries. For example, America is one of the developed countries, and people from different states such as Mexico, India, and China migrate to the USA to enjoy the high salaries and wages offered in the country (Lopez & Bialik, 2017). According to López & Bialik, (2017) more than 1 million people immigrants from different enter the USA annually in favor of economic benefits.
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Political Instability and Civil wars
Instability in a country may originate from civil wars as well as political oppression. According to Fry et al., (2015) many of the immigrants who enter the US usually originate from countries characterized by chaos. Many countries are in the state of civil war, and people feel stressed and discomforted which forces individuals to seek citizenship in other nations where they can have a peaceful life and feel secure. Most underdeveloped countries are characterized by severe cases of conflict within the citizens as well as people criticizing the operations of the government. Fights and rivalry results in deaths and massive loss of property which make it difficult for people to survive in that particular country thus seeking refuge in foreign nations.
Civil and political wars result in involuntary migration because people leave their property and homes to live in refugee camps in foreign countries. According to Rezouni, (2010) the US population has been increasing in the last years because of the high number of refugees registered in the state. Most of the refugees in this country originate from less developed nations where people find it difficult to survive in the chaotic environment. The US-registered a total of 53, 716 within the year 2017 where the immigrants were from countries such as the Democratic Republic Congo, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, and Burma (López & Bialik, 2017). Both political and civil wars characterize the states of origin for a period with many deaths making the area uninhabitable by a human.
Personal rights and Freedom
In some cases, people may prefer to move to foreign countries in an attempt of escaping religious and political persecution. Though religious persecution appears to be one of the old-fashioned causes of seeking citizenship with other nations, it still occurs and characterizes immigration in several parts of the world. According to Ortega & Peri, (2009) religious persecution still exists in the Middle East where a majority of the Islamic, Christianity, and Jews fight for the holy land where each group believes the area is theirs. In other cases, US immigrants flee their countries in fear of government oppression which may take different forms. For example, the home nation may be characterized by government preventing some groups of people from playing a significant role in political and economic positions thus forcing the discriminated groups to migrate to other nations.
Some countries such as the US provide an environment where people have equal rights and freedom to exercise their duties making it an attractive area for immigrants. Most of the immigrants into the United States come from government and religious oppressive thus entering the country to seek political and religious asylum. The US has well-stipulated laws in the constitution that grant people an opportunity of exercising freedom of speak and freedom of worship thus making it an attractive zone for immigrants escaping oppression (Fry et al., 2015). In some countries such as the US, both immigrants and permanent residents are given an opportunity to welcome family members into the region legally thus increasing the number of immigrants in the country. From this view, the constitution and immigration laws of a state are essential determinants of the number of immigrants found in that nation.
Effects of Immigration
Positive effects of immigration
The effects of immigration depend on the reason as to why people have left their home country to seek citizenship in another country. In a circumstance where emigration was voluntary, the individuals are likely to experience positive impacts because there will be adequate time for preparation. In most cases, people who voluntarily choose to enter another country are young and middle-aged with objectives of living a better life. As a result, their decision to seek citizenship in other nations can be a mechanism of achieving the set life goals. Such people stand a high chance of making better life standard, social benefits, security, and confidence at work. The country also benefits because skilled work personnel originating from immigrants choose to work at relatively low salaries and wages considered unfit by native citizens. In effect, a country that accepts immigrants is always likely to benefit from cheap labor thus increasing the productivity of the nation (Ortega, & Peri, 2009). Both skilled and unskilled labor force is essential factors of production because they organize factors of production to produce output.
Adverse effects of immigration
Immigration also has adverse effects on both the immigrants as well as the country. Some immigrants such as refugees who flee their country as well as illegal immigrants may cause dissatisfaction among native citizens (Ortega & Peri, 2009). They put pressure on the resources of the nation such as food and accessibility to work thus causing challenges for native citizens who may want to have access to such materials. Not all immigrants who are capable of speaking English meaning that most of the time they do rough work reducing the country’s productivity. Immigration exposes people into multicultural society meaning that individuals experience social problems such as racism, prejudice, and discrimination by the majority group.
Immigration originates from problems experienced in the country and the perceived benefits of living in a particular foreign country. In situations where the economic condition of a country is not conducive, there is likelihood that people will seek citizenship in other countries to enjoy economic advantages such as access to work and favorable salaries and wages. Political instability leads to emigration, and people choose the destination country depending on the level of stability. The US is perceived as the country that hosts a majority of refugees fleeing political as well as civil wars. In other cases, people experience religious and political oppression forcing them to seek freedom in other nations. For example, the United States has been an attractive country for such people because its constitution embraces peoples’ freedom such as freedom of speech. Immigration is characterized by both positive and negative effects at both the national and individual level. Immigrants provide the host country with cheap labor for productivity though they may cause dissatisfaction among native citizens. Immigrants also lead to social problems such as discrimination, race, and prejudice because it brings people from different cultures together.
References
Fry, R., Lopez, M. H., D; Vera Cohn, Passel, J. S., & Brown, A. (2015). Modern immigration wave brings 59 million to US, driving population growth and change through 2065: Views of immigration's impact on US society mixed . Pew Research Center.
López, G., & Bialik, K. (2017). Key findings about US immigrants. Pew Research Center , 3 .
Ortega, F., & Peri, G. (2009). The causes and effects of international migrations: Evidence from OECD countries 1980-2005 (No. w14833). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Rezouni, S. (2010). Illegal immigration: causes, consequences, and national security implications . ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA.
