MIG- Obstacles to Migration Lesson

Obstacles to Migration

There are a number of barriers to migration, these might be physical, geographic, culturally-related or political.

Government Limitations on Immigration

  • As immigration rose at the beginning of the 20th century the American government reacted with quotas that remained in place until the 1960s (these were the first quotas that impacted European immigration in any way).
    • The limits were based on per country per year
    • Quota Act of 1921-no more than 3% of the number of people from any given country living in the US could enter the next year (for example, if there were 300,000 Polish immigrants in living in the US (based on the 1910 census – then no more than 9,000 could immigrate into the US in 1922)
    • This act was the first to demonstrate concern over Europeans from Southern and Eastern Europe
    • National Origins Act of 1924 - this quota lowered the percentage of immigrants from any country to two percent
      • Almost all migration at this point was from Europe (with Northern and Western counties being "preferred locations") it was difficult for African immigrants and nearly impossible for Asians (all regions of Asia)

Government Limitations on Immigration, continued

  • In the 1960s the quota laws changed from national limits to hemisphere limits (Immigration Act of 1965)
    • 170,000 from the Eastern Hemisphere
    • 120,000 from the Western Hemisphere
  • In 1978 the quota laws changed again from hemispheric limits to a global limit of 290,000 (with no more than 20,000 from an individual country)
  • The current legislation sets a global limit of 700,000 immigrants with not more than 7% from an individual country
    • Nearly 500,000 spots are reserved for family-sponsored immigrants
    • The remainder are divided among employment related immigrants and for diversity from countries around the world
  • Exceptions and preferences exist for: families, skilled workers, professionals and refugees (not counted in quota totals)

Ellis Island Landing 1902

Landing at Ellis Island, 1902

Emigrants coming up the board-walk from the barge, which has taken them off the steamship company's docks, and transported them to Ellis Island. The big building in the background is the new hospital just opened.

Preferred Immigrants

  • Although many immigrants to the US are poor workers in search of opportunities, many immigrants to the US (and Western Europe) are highly educated
  • These people can make more money in the western hemisphere rather than their home nations
  • The US and European nations also have immigration preferences for these people
  • People with higher levels of education can make long distance moves
    • Their critical distance (distance beyond which cost , effort and means influence travel) is larger than the average migrant
  • The lack of education in the home nations contributed to brain drain (loss of the most talented individuals) in those areas
    • The Appalachian areas are examples with the US
    • India to Europe/United States internationally

Exceptions for Workers

  • Many nations around the world have special documentation for temporary workers
    • Europe and Middle East (not the US)
  • These guest workers obtain jobs in Europe
    • Not the same as migrant workers
    • Guaranteed minimum wage and union membership
    • Take jobs unwanted by Europeans (drivers, garbage collectors and general manual labor) due to the aging population in many Western European countries
  • These arrangements help European nations find workers at low wages, but also help the home nation by reducing unemployment there and receiving the money sent home by the guest workers
    • Workers from North Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia
    • Turkish within Germany / North Africans within France
  • Many countries are now lowering their amount of guest workers due to concerns about acculturation and the loss of a national identity and fears about terrorism or extremism

Early Routes to Legal Migration

  • Historically Asian immigrants were able to move by becoming time-contract workers in the 19th century
    • Recruited by mines or companies to work for a set period of time (in the US the East and Southeast Asian population helped build the transcontinental railroad)
    • Many of these people would remain in the new nation
    • Almost 30 million Chinese people live in other nations (mostly in Asia)

Cultural Obstacles

  • Although the US is a nation of immigrants many citizens wanted to close all the borders following the settlement of the western frontier
    • Groups that come from different areas are especially mistreated
      • Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America
  • This fear is shared by Western European and Middle Eastern nations as well
    • Europeans want increased regulations on guest workers
    • Middle Eastern nations are afraid of too many immigrants wearing away the Islamic religious and cultural traditions
  • Some nations are attempting to force their temporary immigrants to return to their home nation  
  • Moving can also cause immigrants to gradually lose their original culture through the process of acculturation
    • This doesn't usually apply to religion and takes three generations to affect language

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS (This image is available from the United States Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division; Image is in the Public Domain)