Immigration is defined as people moving between countries.
Immigration has been happening since people were able to walk, however recently, expecially in the OECD, it has received a lot of negative press lately, especially in regards to illegal immigration.
Immigration however implies longer term (often permanent), legal, residence.
The grey area for expatriates is, at what point does a short-term visitor (effectively a non-immigrant) become an immigrant? While there is no exact definition that I know of, it is probably more a question of intent. And, intent is obviously a subjective personal experience which eludes collective quantification.
The most clear indicator of whether someone is a visitor, an expatriate, or an immigrant has to do with the intentions of the individual. What are his plans for the future? Does he or she intend on “repatrating” back to their country of origin at some set or indefinite point in the future, or do they intend to raise a family die and be buried in their new home?
To the external viewer, intent is probably first most decisively indicated at the point where the expatriate or “visitor” applies for and receives legal, permanent residence status.
Secondly, at a point in time when the permanent legal resident decides to apply for legal citizenship and either hold dual citizenship and passports, or in some cases, renounce their former country of orgin and return their original passport.
The International Integration and Refugee Association estimated 190 million international migrants in 2005. This equates to about 3 percent of population.
The 2005 UN census reports that the areas of the globe with the largest number of immigrants include The Middle East, some parts of Europe, small areas of South East Asia, and a few spots in the West Indies.
In genexpat’s section on immigration we will discuss and analyze some of the more popular immigration destinations and what are the various requirements for obtaining visitor visa status, work visas, permanent residency and finally, legal citizenship.