Reasons Why People Migrate

Have you ever considered of moving to another country? If yes, what drives you to pursue that goal? Career? Provisions? Better future? While doing some research about migration, you may have encountered terms like emigration and immigration. When a person emigrates, he/she leaves his/her country (of origin) or region and transfers to another place. Meanwhile, when a person immigrates, he/she arrives at his/her country or region of choice and permanently resides there.
 To exemplify:

• Amy emigrated from the Philippines to the UK.
• Joel is planning to immigrate in the Netherlands to escape political persecution.

People migrate due to the following reasons:

• Economic – It describes people who leave their country of origin or region to look for opportunities abroad that offer better pay and benefits to improve the standard of living. In addition, some people migrate to hone their craft as other countries provide better training and facilities.
• Environmental – It describes people who are forced to leave a disaster-stricken country or region because it compromises their safety and well-being.
• Political – It describes people who migrate due to political persecution or war. They often seek asylum in other countries.
• Social – It describes people who migrate to be with their family or relatives. Often, the family member is already a citizen or granted with permanent residence by another country.

Furthermore, people migrate either internally or internationally. Internal migration refers to migrants who transfer from one place to another but within the same region or country. For example, refugees affected by calamities or civil unrest relocate to another town or municipality for safety. International migration, on the other hand, refers to migrants who move from one country to another. For example, people who seek asylum in another country are trying to escape political persecution in their home country.

Whatever your reasons are for migrating, you must weigh the pros and cons should you decide to carry out your plan. For instance, regardless of your purpose for leaving your hometown, you must take an aptitude test like the IELTS exam to gauge your English proficiency skills. This is applicable for those who are planning to migrate in English-speaking countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK, among others.  If you are worried about having elementary or limited working proficiency, there are IELTS review centers to help you improve your language skills. Then again, you must check first with the country you wish to migrate in about its requirements for visas and immigration. If you are planning to migrate in the UK, you have to take the IELTS for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). It is an English proficiency exam approved and recognized by the government. The score that you will get in this test may be used to serve as proof of your English language skills in support of your UKVI application. For more details, you may consider joining IELTS UKVI review centers.

On a different note…

Do you know that many people from European Union (EU) countries migrate to the UK? In June 2016, the net migration was around 190,000. (Net migration refers to the difference between the emigrants and immigrants of an area/region/country in a specific period.) Full Fact, a fact-finding charity, showed a visual representation of the main reasons why people migrate to the UK: 47% of non-EU nationals migrate to study, while 41% of EU nationals migrate to find a stable job. The figures presented were as of June 2016, excluding British nationals. (EU nationals: 31% look for opportunities, 13% study, 9% join family/spouse or partner and 6% others; Non-EU nationals: 19% join family/spouse or partner, 10% look for opportunities and 4% others)

Whether you plan to study, work or merely explore what is in store for you abroad, specifically in the UK, several institutions would require you to take an English language proficiency exam, like the IELTS. Its main purpose is to assess how well you utilize the language in daily and academic setting. It is recommended that you join IELTS review centers, particularly IELTS UKVI review centers, as their mentors provide a walk-through regarding the application not only for the IELTS exam but for the UK visas as well.

References:

"Why do people migrate?" BBC News. Accessed December 27, 2016. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/migration/migration_trends_rev2.shtml.

"Emigrate." Merriam-Webster.com. Accessed December 27, 2016. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emigrate.

"Economic migration." BBC News. Accessed December 27, 2016. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/migration/types_migration_rev4.shtml.

"Immigrate." Merriam-Webster.com. Accessed December 27, 2016. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immigrate.

O'Leary, Joseph. "EU immigration to the UK." Full Fact. December 01, 2016. Accessed December 27, 2016. https://fullfact.org/immigration/eu-migration-and-uk/.