Migration Terms and Concepts

refugee

a person who has been forced to leave his/her home country for their own safety/freedom (do not necessarily want to leave, but must, often suddenly)

immigrant

a person who comes to a country where they were not born in order to settle there (chose to move, often for better opportunities)

internally displaced person

similar to a refugee, however, they are still living within their original country (did not cross international borders)

internal migration

similar to an immigrant’s reasons for moving, however, they are still living within their original country (permanent, not travel)

push factor

a reason that makes people want to leave a place

pull factor

reasons why someone would be attracted to a new country

political (push/pull factors)

People may decide to migrate due to leaders, laws, government, war

economic (push/pull factors)

People may decide to migrate due to jobs, income, taxes, housing costs, businesses, struggling/better economy

environmental (push/pull factors)

People may decide to migrate due to natural disasters, weather/climate, land, pollution, natural resources

social (push/pull factors)

People may decide to migrate due to family/friends, quality of life, treatment, language, beliefs

country of origin

Country where an individual was born/originally from

destination country

Country where an individual moved to