Introduction
Migration can be described as a systematic movement of people, organisms, animals and other things from one place to the other. This means that migration can be looked at from various aspects and frontiers (Balin 2008, p. 14).
Migration pull factors are factors that have ended up encouraging people to move from one place to the other. This is because people migrate or move as a result of these factors. These factors can be looked at from a political, economic, cultural and environmental point of view (Pomfret 1979, p. 13).
Discussion
International migration has always depended on international income inequalities as time goes by (Pomfret 1979, p. 33). As much as migration has been facilitated by different pull and push factors, it has also been aided by a reduction in communication and transport costs.
Therefore, large scale migrations have been driven by economic factors. By doing this, migrants believe that they are moving to better income places than their previous country of origin.
This means that most migration activities have been characterized by labor movements. As much as this has been seen in different countries, lack of information has been identified as a problem that needs to be dealt with for effective economic migration (Pomfret 1979, p. 31). Migration barriers have been erected by different countries because the contribution of these workers to the country’s budget is minimal.
This factor can be looked at after the assessment of international labor movements has been done. As a matter of fact, many countries have had problems in determining wages that are supposed to be paid to different migrants.
This is because people have been moving from high income countries to low income countries to enhance their livelihoods (Ratha 2009, p. 17). Such an aspect can be explained by looking at remittances that have been recorded in recent years.
For instance, India has been the top recipient of remittances from abroad as shown in the graph below. The country has achieved this because of increased migration to the Gulf and other emerging destinations.
Source: Ratha, D 2009.
In most cases, people migrate to look for better job opportunities and good living conditions. This is because there might be better paying jobs ion those countries. In the long run, they will be able to improve their economic conditions as time goes by.
People have also migrated because of various political reasons. In this case, people will tend to run away from their country because it is politically unstable or inhabitable (Legrain 2007, p. 14). By doing this they normally strive to get political and religious freedom that they have been denied in their home countries.
As a matter of fact, migrants will escape from war torn countries to go to other peaceful developed countries. It should be known that most of these refugees are asylum seekers who are going to developing countries for their own safety (Ratha et al 2009, p. 19).
There has been a stable political environment as the number of asylum seekers has reduced from 13 million to 9 million in 2005 (UNHCR 2009, p. 12). Africa has been prone to political conflicts and therefore recorded a large number of political migrants.
It is estimated that more than 43.3 million people were forcefully evicted in the previous year (UNHCR 2009, p. 19). Most of these evictions were as a result of political instability and conflicts.
Other people migrate to enjoy life in other places. This is because they always want to be exposed to new environments. Education has also been a pull factor for migration. In this case, people migrate to other countries to further their education. As a matter of fact, other people migrate to get better medical care in those countries. In this case, the said county might be having better medical institutions.
Insecurity has also forced people to migrate to other countries. In this case, people will migrate to safe countries. Other people have been encouraged to migrate because of good family links.
This means that they have relatives in those countries and it will be easy for them to settle there. Industries have also forced people to migrate in one way or the other. In extreme cases, people might be forced to migrate because of the urge to increase their chances of finding better courtship.
Cultural factors have also contributed to migration activities. In this case, there is a social change, assimilation and the definition of ones cultural identity (Balin 2008, p. 9). As a matter of fact, an individual can like a give place and move there as a result of culture. It should be known that all of us might like a given culture once in our lifetimes. Cultural migration is enhanced by community, ethic and family ties that individuals have.
Environmental aspects that relate to migration can be explained from seasonal migration. In this case, people migrate because of seasonal weather patterns. For instance, there is the migration of Mexican farmers to the United States for harvests (Legrain 2007, p. 14). In extreme cases, harsh environments can force people to migrate to other safe places that will enhance their livelihoods.
Conclusion
Migration pull factors are factors that have ended up encouraging people to move from one place to the other. This is because people migrate or move from place to place as a result of these factors. Therefore, large scale migrations have been driven by economic factors. By doing this, migrants believe that they are moving to better income places than their previous country of origin.
Reference List
Balin, B., 2008. State Immigration Legislation and Immigrant Flows: An Analysis. USA: Johns Hopkins University.
Legrain, P., 2007. Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them. New York: Little Brown.
Pomfret, R., 1979. Population and migration. New York: Prentice hall.
Ratha, D., 2009. India is the top recipient of remittances. Web.
Ratha, D. Mohapatra, S. & Silwal. A., 2009. Outlook for Remittance Flows 2009-2011: Remittances expected to fall by 7-10 percent in 2009. New York: World Bank.
UNHCR., 2009. UNHCR chief says 2009 “worst” year for voluntary repatriation in two decades. Web.