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• Migration


  The movement of people from place to place. It can be internal, within a society, or international.
• Immigration


  Movement into a society.
• Emigration

  Movement out of a society.
• Net migration


  The difference between the numbers of immigrants and the numbers of emigrants, expressed as a net increase or a net decrease due to migration.
• In the UK, for most of the 20th century until the 1980s, there were fewer immigrants than emigrants.
• Immigration

  1. From 1900 until the Second World War (1939-45), the largest immigrant group were the Irish, mainly for economic reasons

  2. From the 1960s to 1990, a series of immigration and nationality acts placed severe restrictions on non-White immigration

  3. By the 1980s, non-White migrants accounted for little more than a quarter of all immigrants, while the mainly White countries of the European Union became the main source of settlers in the UK
• Emigration

  1. From as early as the mid-16th century until the 1980s, the UK was almost always a net exporter of people

  2. Since 1900, emigrants have gone to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

  3. The main reasons for emigration have been economic 'push' factors such as economic recession and unemployment at home, and 'pull' factors such as higher wages or better opportunities abroad
• These economic reasons for migration contrast with those of some other groups, who have been driven to migrate by religious, political or racial persecution.
• Dependency ratio

  The ratio of the number of dependents (people who are too young or too old to work) to the number of working-age people in a population.
• Recent years have seen an increase in both immigration and emigration


  These trends affect the size of the UK population, its age structure and the dependency ratio
• The UK population is currently growing, partly as a result of immigration
• Net migration to the UK was estimated to be 270,000 in 2019 (677,000 immigrants minus 407,000 emigrants), down from a peak of 331,000 in 2015. Net migration of EU citizens fell sharply after the Brexit referendum in 2016, from 133,000 to 49,000.
• There is also a natural increase, with births exceeding deaths. However, births to UK born mothers remain low. Births to non-UK born mothers are higher and account for about 28% of all births, but even with these, births remain below the replacement level (the number needed to keep population size stable) if not for net migration, the population would be shrinking.
• Immigrants

  They are generally younger than the UK-born population. In 2015, just 11% of migrants were 65 or older, while 48% of the UK-born were 26-64 compared to 70% of migrants.
• Immigrants are younger


  They are more likely to be of working age and helps to lower the dependency ratio. However, because they are younger, immigrants have more children, thereby increasing the ratio. Over time, these children will join the labour force and help to lower the ratio once again.
• The longer a group is settled in the country, the closer their fertility rate comes to the national average, reducing their overall impact on the dependency ratio.
• According to the United Nations (2020), the number of international migrants was almost 272 million in 2019, 51 million more than in 2010. In the same year, 677,000 people either entered or left the UK.
• Types of migrants

  • Permanent residents
  • Temporary workers
  • Spouses
  • Forced migrants (refugees and asylum seekers)
  • Students
• Since the 1990s, globalisation has led to 'super diversity' where migrants come from a much wider range of countries and individuals differ in terms of legal status, culture, and religion.
• There are also class divisions among migrants. Some are privileged foreign nationals welcomed by the state, while others are the most exploited group, regarded as 'disposable labour power'.
• The feminisation of migration has occurred, with women now making up about half of all migrants.
• Migrant women often enter careers as carers or providers of sexual services, reflecting gendered and colonial stereotypes.
• Hybrid identities


  Migrants may develop identities made up of two or more different sources, such as their country of origin, ethnicity, religion, and nationality.
• Transnational identities

  Migrants are less likely to see themselves as belonging completely to one culture or country, and may develop loyalties and connections across multiple locations.
• Assimilationism


  State policy aimed at encouraging immigrants to adopt the language, values and customs of the host culture
• Multiculturalism


  State policy that accepts migrants may wish to retain a separate cultural identity, but this may be limited to more superficial aspects of cultural diversity ('shallow diversity') rather than deeper cultural practices ('deep diversity')
• Since the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001, many politicians have swung back towards demanding that migrants assimilate culturally.
• Assimilationist policies are counter-productive as they can lead to minority groups responding by emphasising their difference, which increases the host society's suspicion of them as an 'enemy within'.
• Assimilationist policies can also encourage workers to blame migrants for social problems, dividing the working class and preventing united action in defence of their interests.