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Immigration

The current global trend is one of transition and adaptation to new contexts of living. Immigration refers to the movement of people from one nation-state to another, with the term migrant referring to a person who has settled outside of his or her country of origin. It was previously believed that people tend to move from developing nations to developed nations, or from Third World countries to First World countries. However, the Global Commission on International Migration reports that all countries in the world are currently receiving migrants from neighboring countries or from abroad, and are also experiencing outward migration flows. Statistics from the International Organization for Migration suggest that there are currently 191 million migrants worldwide. Whereas previous waves of immigration to North America were disproportionately European, current immigration patterns show a diversification of migrants' source countries to include Asia and the Pacific, Central and South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Globalization and immigration contribute to the creation of pluralistic societies, where education and health care systems are faced with the challenge of understanding and responding to the needs of multilingual and multi-cultural constituents with unique life histories. This overview of immigration begins with a description of different migrant subgroups and the common acculturation process they experience in the new country of settlement. The implications of immigration for education and life span human development, as well as for mental health, are subsequently discussed.

Subtypes of Migrants

Migrants can be subdivided into three groups based on whether their relocation outside of their countries of origin is voluntary or involuntary and based on the degree of permanence of their settlement in the host nation. These three groups are immigrants, sojourners, and refugees. Each of these groups is described below, along with the process of acculturation that they commonly experience as part of their adjustment to a new sociocultural milieu.

Immigrants

Immigrants are people who voluntarily leave their countries of origin in search of better social, educational, and vocational opportunities, with the intention of permanent residence in the destination country. Conditions in their countries of origin, such as over-population and high rates of unemployment, or natural disasters that have adversely affected their quality of life, may serve as motivators for immigration, in addition to perceived opportunities abroad. Immigrants can gain entry to their preferred destination country under either of two immigration categories: the family class or the economic class. Family class immigrants are those who are sponsored by an immediate family member or relative living in the destination country who makes a commitment to take temporary financial responsibility for them and to assist with settlement and integration. Economic class immigrants are those who qualify to independently migrate to the destination country based on having education and training that corresponds to critical labor market needs, or based on investment capital that supports their potential for entrepreneurship.

Sojourners

Sojourners are people who voluntarily leave their countries of origin to temporarily resettle in another country for the purpose of obtaining an education or fulfilling employment responsibilities, or for humanitarian reasons. International students, foreign diplomats, migrant laborers, and disaster recovery personnel, such as medical professionals in the United Nations Doctors Without Borders Program, are examples of sojourners. Sojourners typically gain entry into their countries of temporary settlement based on applications for international student visas, work permits, or permits for foreign aid personnel. Sojourners may be living in a country other than their country of origin for many years. Besides adjusting to life in the country of temporary settlement, when sojourners return home, they often have to reacclimate to their previous way of life.

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