Week 4 – Migration
1. Migration Exercise
Migration has been the most significant factor in the mounding of families throughout the world,
be they those of international migrants, internal migrants, or of the forced exodus for political,
economic, or social reasons. Most of the time it is families who must find a place elsewhere for
the sake of economic betterment, safety, or simply stability. The history of migration in our
family goes back to Kanchanpur, a small rural village in Nepal, when my forefathers migrated
from there due to economic hardships and lack of opportunities.
Afterward, internal migration within the country led members of the family to settle in different
regions in the quest of work, education, or living under better conditions. In the immediate past,
international migration became quite pronounced for such people as my parents who moved to
Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, because of education or employment reasons. It is during
such successive movements that family members face different problems in terms of cultural
adaptation, discrimination, language barriers, and legal limitations, especially those who moved
to a different place without proper documents. All the same, it is economic growth and the
opportunities that such migration does bring to the family.
2. Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Migrants
But the responses to immigrants and asylum seekers are very different among world regions and
political climates.There are some countries in which international migration is treated with open
arms because of the insufficiency of labor, whereas in most other countries, this very form of
immigration has been met with extremely tough regulations and policies—largely the result of
the preoccupation the countries have with their economy and security. Undocumented migrants
and asylum seekers in particularly, but not exclusively, those that are supposed to come from
poor countries, are increasingly met in many countries with growing hostility and increasing
scrutiny, as one can overhear from the news.
They therefore are proposing guest worker programs to solve the labor shortage, but without any
promise of granting permanent residence. Others are pushing border controls to even stricter
measures. Public opinion mainly stays divided between those arguing from humanitarian reasons
and others who fear competition for jobs and cultural change. Web articles revealed that there are
areas which experience a brain drain as skilled professionals leave in search of better
opportunities, hence leading to undereducated workforces in their home countries. Chain
migration—that is, when one migrant brings other family members—is turning out to be very
influential in the demographics of many nations.
3. Impact on the landscape
Cultural, economic, and social changes are brought in each place that they occupy. Cities, in
most cases, face changes in their housing demands, economic activities, and cultural diversity
due to forced migration or chain migration. Above all, immigrants boost the growth of ethnic
neighborhoods, the availability of bilingual services, and the city's cultural landscape with their
new businesses, restaurants, and traditions.
However, there are other regions that are under a lot of strain on their infrastructure due to the
very large sudden inflow of undocumented migrants or asylum seekers, making real the
impossibility of providing such people with adequate housing, transport, and social services.
On the other hand, migration can also revitalize communities that are in decline by providing
workers for job vacancies, thus reconstructing the local economy and bringing about innovation.
Hence, the final net effect will depend on policy decisions, economic conditions, and the success
of integrating new settlers into society.
