Migration

Migration is when people leave their own country and move to another.

They do so for many reasons, but most often to find employment or a better standard of living.

Politicians often discuss migration because they want to control the flow of people coming to and leaving the country. Some nations have strict migration laws to control the number of people who move there.

People usually migrate to improve their quality of life. They may be looking for employment with better pay and conditions than they can find at home. They may move to escape war or persecution.

Northern Ireland is attractive to migrants for many reasons.

• There are good employment opportunities.
• Access to the National Health Service is free.
• The education system is excellent.
• Northern Ireland is reasonably stable and safe and this is attractive to those fleeing war.
• Migrants often move to Northern Ireland to join their families already living there.

Migrants to Northern Ireland may:

• have to take low-paid work and live in poor housing conditions
• feel excluded from society if they don’t speak English
• suffer from racism, as some local people feel threatened by the presence of migrants

• Some people leave Northern Ireland to find better employment opportunities elsewhere.

• They may move to a country with higher salaries and more chance of promotion.

• Many other countries have a warmer climate and this is attractive for some.