MIGRATION: Advantages and Disadvantages

Migration can be both beneficial and harmful to a country 

Image: From Agrim Housing Finance 

Advantages of Migration:

• The are that people move or migrate from becomes less crowded. This can ease the pressure placed on the resources of the country of origin. 

• The country of origin benefit from remittances. Remittances are monies sent by migrants (mostly family members) abroad, to people in another country (their home country) The government can tax this money, thus making an income from it.

• The host (receiving) country experiences brain gain. Brain gain is the process by which highly skilled and educated workers migrate to the country for various reasons. This is beneficial to the receiving country as they will see a spike in their human resources. 

• Those skilled workers who migrate to another country, may come back to their home country and can share any new skills or knowledge they acquired abroad, to further the development of the country. 

Disadvantages of Migration: 

• The biggest most notable disadvantage of migration is Brain Drain. This term refers to the loss of highly skilled workers (such as nurses, doctors, teachers) leave their home country to go to another. This loss of human resources can hinder further development of the country.

• Pressure on the resources of the receiving country: finding housing, and providing services for the migrants (for example if the country has free healthcare) 

• The reality might not meet the expectations of the migrants: Reality; amazing housing and good paying jobs (as portrayed by western media) Expectations; living in slums and low paying (under-the-table) jobs