Introduction
Immigration is defined as the movement of people from other countries into a new country where they are not natives with the intention of becoming permanent residents or citizens (Dustmann & Frattini, 2013). Immigration is not a recent phenomenon since it has been happening since the beginning of civilization. For instance, during the era of exploration in which great sailors cruised across the world, discovering and conquering new territories, many people migrated and settled in new lands permanently.
The movement of Europeans to America in the 16th to 18th centuries is one of the great examples of immigration in the early periods. During the 20th century, immigration became a major debate, especially in countries such as America and Europe, which form the largest immigrant destinations in the world (Card, 2001). Although most refugee populations are found in the US and Europe, immigration is a worldwide phenomenon. Each region of the world has its share of immigrants.
For instance, the Middle East is not left out. Immigration here has become an increasing situation in the recent past. This paper will discuss the main reasons for immigration and its effects on the social, economic, and political status of nations with reference to the Middle East and other examples from the world.
The Causes of Immigration
Numerous reasons have been established to explain why people immigrate and/or seek to become citizens of other nations. According to Rowthorn (2008), while some of the reasons for immigration have remained for long, different factors that are related to different immigration periods are also present.
For instance, some of the reasons that motivated people to migrate into other nations in the 18th century may not be valid today. However, other reasons have emerged over time. However, regardless of the reason for immigration, the motivation of leaving one’s nation and leaving what a person has ever known to venture into an unknown future in an alien nation indicates a lack of any other option on the immigrant.
The first major reason for immigration in the 21st century is war and conflict that have prevailed in many countries that provide many immigrant populations across the world. Unlike in the past, when hostilities and clashes involved cross-border parties, wars, and conflicts are becoming increasingly prevalent in the Middle East (Rowthorn, 2008).
In other words, many wars that are happening are within the borders of a given nation where one group, community, or region rises against another for various reasons such as the fight for resources or power, among other factors (Dustmann & Frattini, 2013). Such conflicts cause many civilian casualties and the internal displacement of people. In some areas, it becomes difficult for the displaced people to return to their native homes for fear of common revenge attacks.
For instance, wars in the Middle East nations such as Iran and Afghanistan and the Israel-Palestinian War, among other conflicts, have internally displaced many persons and refugees in their effort to flee for their lives. As such, as wars and conflicts escalate, people seek asylum in other nations where they feel that they will be safe from the dangers that wars and conflicts cause.
The Middle East citizens majorly immigrate to the US, Europe, or Australia with a considerable number immigrating into other peaceful Middle East nations such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE among others, although their numbers are fewer as compared to those who opt for the US or Europe (Barrett & McCarthy, 2008).
The second reason for immigration is poverty. While the world, in general, has become more prosperous in economic terms, it has created major income disparities where the world’s well-off people have become more affluent while the underprivileged have become shoddier. According to Frattini, Dustmann, and Preston (2013), over 1.2 billion people live on less than a dollar a day, while approximately half of the world’s population lives on less than two dollars (Rowthorn, 2008).
Further, over 550 million employed people earn less than 2 dollars per day. The situation is not becoming any better and that more than 60 countries of the world are poorer today than they were three decades ago (Barrett & McCarthy, 2008). The reasons for such poverty in nations as well as on individual people are many. For instance, many developing nations spend billions of dollars fighting their citizens or with their neighbors instead of engaging in social and economic development programs to improve their citizens’ welfare.
In addition, conflict is a major contributor to poverty. Conflicts displace people from the homes, thus rendering it impossible to engage in income-generating activities. Further, it disrupts economic activities through the destruction of industries, infrastructure, and other areas of the economy, hence making it almost impossible for people to earn. In many instances, it is only through relief aid that such people can support their families. Consequently, the option of migrating to other nations becomes highly desirable.
For instance, many immigrants in the Middle East have fled their nations due to poverty or lack of jobs to serve in the thriving oil-driven economies of the Middle East. For instance, more than 40% of the population in the GCC oil-rich nations of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman is made of foreigners who have majorly come there in search of employment (Frattini et al., 2013).
Thirdly, human rights violation is a major reason why people decide to migrate and permanently settle in other nations. In the last two and half decades, over 70 nations have been directly involved in approximately 90 wars that have left roughly 5.6 million people and over 50 million displaced.
During the times of war, governments, as well as militants, violate many people’s rights. Issues such as the use of force by governments to disperse demonstrators, arresting of people, and detention of others without trying them are some of the human rights violations that are rampant in the 21st century (Boeri, 2010).
For instance, governments’ brutality and oppression of people’s rights in countries such as China, Iran, Somalia, Cambodia, and El Salvador, among others, have contributed to a significant flow of refugees and immigrants across the world (Boeri, 2010).
Lastly, many immigrant populations see various pull factors in the nations where they choose to immigrate. For instance, many nations that host the highest number of immigrants, such as the US and the European nations, are viewed as more prosperous in terms of economy, respect for human rights, and/or in terms of the quality of life of its citizens (Boeri, 2010).
Success stories from people who have immigrated earlier act as pull factors for those who are still in their native countries where conflict, poverty, and other pressures are prevalent to the extent of affecting their standards of living.
Consequently, compared to the situation at home, the risk of migrating becomes more desirable compared to the risk of remaining in the native nations. For instance, many immigrants in the Middle East seek to obtain jobs that are available in the oil-rich nations as opposed to staying in their nations in poverty, among other reasons.
The Effects of Immigration on Countries
Social Effects of Immigration
Immigration indicates the movement of people from one region to another. The sending nations have varied and culturally distinct ways and practices of life that may vary from those of the populations in the receiving nations. Consequently, the interaction between these cultures is likely to cause various impacts. Firstly, immigration may lead to conflicts in the receiving nations.
Not all people may be comfortable with immigrants coming and settling in their localities. For instance, in the recent past, the immigration debate in the US has been raging high as many people claim that the immigration laws and policies are flawed. Hence, they need to change to control immigration into the nation (Boeri, 2010). Such issues reflect just a tip of many problems that locals may have against immigrants.
Secondly, immigration leads to interaction between cultures where they may influence each other. For instance, the growth of Islam in America is greatly linked to the increasing number of immigrants from Islamic nations across the world (Card, 2001). Other social consequences may include inter-marriages, borrowing of practices, and assimilation of immigrants, among other social effects. Some of the effects of immigration may be negative on the society where they settle.
For instance, immigration may be linked to an increase in crime in some areas, although research has not been thoroughly carried to support this assertion. Many theories have been put across to show that immigration leads to a reduction of crime as opposed to an increase in immorality. For instance, many people assert that immigrants may start businesses that may increase employment for the local populations while at the same time increasing cash flow in the areas, hence resulting in crime reduction (Frattini et al., 2013).
Other social effects include the emergence of new diseases that may have devastating consequences on the native populations. However, while the introduction of new diseases is a real threat, developments and advancements in medical sciences ensure that such diseases do not pose many threats in the 21st century, as they would have done 100 years ago.
Economic Effects of Immigration
The economic effects of immigration vary widely for the sending and the receiving nations. These effects are both negative and positive. The most significant area of the economy that is influenced by immigration is the labor market. As people move into new nations, they bring increased competition and pressure on the available jobs.
The level of skills and competences of the immigrant populations is a key factor. The effects of immigrant populations on the labor market are highly dependent on whether their competencies are complementary or substitutes of the natives’ competences (Dustmann & Frattini, 2013). If the competences are harmonizing, immigration becomes a good thing since immigrants fill the positions that the locals have failed to fill. Consequently, the outcome is better economic progress for the receiving nation.
Due to the low populations of the Middle East nations, immigration becomes an important aspect since it helps to fill the skill gap that cannot be filled by the natives. In these nations, economies are thriving due to the available enormous oil resources. Consequently, both skilled and unskilled labor is in high demand. Foreigners are the only ones who can be relied on to serve the demand. For instance, Qatar has almost 100% of its oil sector, served by foreign labor (Boeri, 2010).
In other nations such as the US and Europe, aging populations and low fertility mean that the retiring population is not being replaced due to lack or deficiency of young people to replace them. Consequently, in such situations, skilled labor is highly on demand. Hence, immigrants play an important role in serving the demand.
However, if the skills among immigrants appear almost the same as those of the local populations, the result is an increase in unemployment, which may cause economic problems to the receiving nation. In the end, the government of the host nation is forced to increase funds towards the welfare of the people. This situation may have a negative impact on its economic wellbeing (Barrett & McCarthy, 2008).
On the other hand, immigration may have positive and negative effects on the sending nation. For instance, many African and Asian nations are experiencing brain drain as highly specialized, and trained professionals seek better salaries and working conditions in other nations. For instance, the Middle East nations offer some of the highest wages and salaries for specialized personnel such as engineers and doctors (Dustmann & Frattini, 2013).
However, the movement of such people from their native nations leaves the sending nations with major skill gaps in crucial areas of the economy. On the other hand, billions of remittances that are made by immigrants to their native nations are beneficial to the economies of such nations (Rowthorn, 2008).
The following table is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of immigration to both the sending and receiving nations, as discussed above:
Advantages of Immigration Disadvantages of Immigration
- It leads to the availability of surplus labor in the receiving nations
- It leads to the introduction of new practices such as religion and language among others
- It leads to intermarriages
- It may turn the trend on nations that are experiencing population decline • It leads to brain drain in the sending nations
- It may lead to an increase in crime in the receiving nations
- It may lead to social ills such as conflicts, demonstrations, and other disruptions on the native populations of the receiving nations
- It may lead to the introduction of new diseases in the receiving nations
Conclusion
Immigration is a growing phenomenon in the 21st century. People are increasingly moving from their native nations to settle permanently in other nations in search of better lives. Reasons why people move from their native countries, including war, poverty, pull factors, and human rights violations, among others. Further, immigration has both social and economic effects on the receiving and sending nations.
For the receiving nations, immigration ensures the supply of both skilled and unskilled labor, among other advantages, as discussed in the paper. On the other hand, it may lead to an increase in unemployment if there are not enough available jobs to support the immigrants and local populations. On the sending nations, immigration may be an advantage due to the billions of dollars that are sent home through remittances. However, it may lead to brain drain, thus leaving serious gaps in the labor market and economies of the sending nations.
Reference List
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Boeri, T. (2010). Immigration to the Land Redistribution. Economica ,77(2), 651-687.
Card, D. (2001). Immigration Inflows, Native Outflows, and the Local Labor Market Impacts of Higher Immigration. Journal of Labor Economics, 43(2), 245-257.
Dustmann, C., & Frattini, T. (2013). Immigration: The European Experience: Immigration, Poverty and Socioeconomic Inequality. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
Frattini, T., Dustmann, C., & Preston, I. (2013). The Effect of Immigration along the Distribution of Wages. Review of Economic Studies, 80(1), 145-173.
Rowthorn, R. (2008). The Fiscal Impact of Immigration on the Advanced Economies. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 24(3), 560-580.