Health and Migration Terms

Asylum seeker - An individual who is seeking international protection. In countries must with individualized procedures, an asylum seeker is someone whose claim has not yet get been finally decided on by the country in which they have submitted it. Not every asylum seeker will ultimately be recognized as a refugee, but every recognized due proc-

refugee is initially an asylum seeker.

• Chain migration - A process by which migrants from a particular place follow

ess

other migrants over time to a particular destination, often with the assistance of those who arrived at the destination earlier.

Climate migration - The movement of a person or group of persons who,

going

predominantly for reasons of sudden or progressive change in the environment due to climate change, are obliged to leave their habitual place of residence

inor -

(or choose to do so), either temporarily or permanently, within a nation-state or across an international border.

Displacement - The movement of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence as a result of or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters.

Emigration - From the perspective of the country of departure, the act of moving from one's country of nationality or usual residence to another country; the country of destination effectively becomes their new country of usual residence.

Immigrant - From the perspective of the country of arrival, a person who moves into a country other than that of their nationality or usual residence; the country. of destination effectively becomes their new country of usual residence.

Internal migration - The movement of people within a nation-state that involves the establishment of a new temporary or permanent residence.

Internally displaced persons (IDPs) - Persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or otherwise leave their homes or places of habitual residence, as a result of or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized nation-state border.

International migration - The movement of persons away from their place of usual residence and across an international border to a country of which they are not nationals. Note that this definition excludes movements that are due to recrea-
or religious pilgrimages.
tion, holiday or vacation, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment,

Place of transit - In the context of migration, the country through which a person or a group of persons pass on any journey, either to the country of destination or from the country of destination, to the country of origin or habitual residence.

Refugee - A person who, owing to a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opin-ion, is outside the country of their nationality and is unable or (owing to such fear) is unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of that country; or a person who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of their former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or (owing to such fear) is unwilling to return to it.

Remittances - Private international monetary transfers that migrants make, individually or collectively. Remittances are primarily sent to people in the migrants' countries of origin with whom they maintain close links; although, in some cases, they are also sent to relatives in other countries of destination. Increasingly, the terms "social remittances" or "social capital transfer" are used in the context of transfers with non-monetary value that occur as a result of migration, such as the transfer of knowledge, know-how, networking, and skills.

Return migrant/migration - A person who has left and then moved back to
the area where they formerly resided.

Short-distance/local mover - A person who has moved only within a political or administrative jurisdiction.

Xenophobia - No universally accepted definition of xenophobia exists at the international level; it can be described as "attitudes, Prejudices and behaviour that reject, exclude and often vility persons, based on the perception that they are outsiders or foreigners to the community, society, or national identity"

Irregular migration - The movement of persons outside the laws, regulations, or international agreements that govern the entry into or exit from the nation-state of origin, transit, or destination. Although a universally accepted definition of irregular migration does not exist, the term is generally used to identify persons moving outside regular migration channels. The fact that they migrate irregularly does not relieve nation-states from the obligation to protect their rights. Moreover, categories of migrants who may not have any other choice but to use irregular migration channels can include refugees, victims of trafficking, or unaccompanied migrant children. The fact that they use irregular migration pathways does not imply that nation-states are not, in some circumstances, obliged to provide them with some forms of protection under international law, including access to international protection for asylum seekers fleeing persecution, conflicts, or generalized violence. In addition, refugees are protected under international law against being penalized for unauthorized entry or stay if they have traveled from a place where they were at risk.

Labor migration - The movement of persons from one country to another, or within their own country of residence, for the purpose of employment.

Lifetime migration - The migration (or the number of moves) that one person has experienced between their birth and the time of a census or survey.

Migrant - An umbrella term, not defined under international law, that reflects the common lay understanding of a person who moves away from their place of usual residence, whether within a country or across an international border, temporarily or permanently, and for a variety of reasons. The term includes: (1) a number of well-defined legal categories of people, such as migrant workers; (2) persons whose particular types of movements are legally defined, such as smuggled migrants; and

(3) those whose status or means of movement are not specifically defined under international law, such as international students.

Migrant flow - The number of migrants arriving at or departing from a defined place over a specified period of time.

Migrant stock - The number of migrants present in a given place at a particular point in time.

Migration - The movement of people from their place of usual residence. People may migrate from one country to another or within the same country. Migration can be temporary or permanent, voluntary or forced.

Migration stream - A group of migrants that share a common origin and destination in a given time period.

Mover - Anyone who has moved from one residential address to another.
Net migration - The balance between immigration and emigration over a specific time period.

Place of origin (departure) - The place or region away from which a migrant

Place of destination (arrival) - The place or region to which a migrant moves.