Types of Migrant (Cambridge International IGCSE Geography)

Specification link

This page covers section 6.3.1 of the CIE IGCSE specification .

• 6.3.1- Types of migrant: economic migrant, asylum seeker and refugee.

Types of migration

• People have always migrated from one place to another, either within their country (internal migration) or across borders (international migration)

• Globalisation has made this move easier and faster

• There are different types of migration, including:

  • Forced (involuntary)
  • Voluntary

Different types of migration

Voluntary migration

• Voluntary migration is the free choice to migrate or not

  • This can be internal(within the same country) or international(to another country)

• Voluntary migration is usually for economic reasons such as work, promotion, higher wages, etc.

  • In developing countries, this is usually internal, from rural to urban areas
  • In developed countries, counter-urbanisation is more common, from urban to rural

Forced migration

• This is where a migrant has no choice but to leave their place of origin

• This is usually international but can also be internal

• There are several reasons for internally forced migration, including:

  • natural hazards
  • war and persecution
  • ethnic cleansing

Economic migrants

Spec point — Types of migrant: economic migrant, asylum seeker and refugee.

• Economic migrants are people who move to earn more money

• Often economic migrants plan to return to their country of origin after working in another country

• Many economic migrants send money back to their families

  • This money is called remittances

Asylum seekers

Spec point — Types of migrant: economic migrant, asylum seeker and refugee.

• Asylum seekers are migrants who have left their country due to fear of persecution, punishment, torture or death in their home country and are claiming refuge in another country

• Asylum seekers are seeking protection in another country, but have not yet been legally recognised as a refugee

• The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is responsible for those people forced to migrate—a 'person of concern'

• Currently, 149 countries have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, recognise the rights of people seeking asylum and have agreed to protect them

  • Whilst waiting for a decision on whether they will be granted refugee status, asylum seekers are held in reception or detention centres

Refugees

Spec point — Types of migrant: economic migrant, asylum seeker and refugee.

• A refugee is a person who lives outside their country of nationality because of well-founded fears of being persecuted, punishment, torture or death

  • This can be due to their:

    • Religion
    • Race
    • Political beliefs
    • Nationality
    • Sexuality

• A refugee has been granted asylum by another country

• This is based on international law which states that a person should not be sent back to a country where they face persecution, threats to their life or freedom

Exam Hint Students often confuse asylum seekers and refugees. It is important to remember that asylum seekers are still 'seeking' asylum. This means that they have not received refugee status, which allows them to stay in the country under the protection of international law.