Topic 3: Immigration - economic opportunities, the challenges and realities on ground.

Welcome back!

If you are just seeing this for the first time, then be informed that this is Week 3 of the ProWritersHub Contest. The third topic for this week is “Immigration: Economic opportunities, the challenges and realities on ground.”
This post will discuss:
🔹Immigration
🔹Some reasons why people leave their country to travel and settle in another country.
🔹Some challenges faced by immigrants
🔹The economic opportunities or benefits of immigration, if any.
🔹Why many immigrants discover that their dreams in a foreign country cannot easily be realized

Immigration is the act of moving into another country which is not necessarily one's native country for permanent residence. It occurs when one leaves his or her home country to a neighbouring or distant place in search of greener pasture, to flee an impending attack or to fulfil a prophecy that they will travel out of the country. This influx and outflux of people tend to increase in recent times due to the availability of safe and reliable means of transportation.

As mentioned before, people opt to settle in a new place for a couple of reasons. Some reasons include:
✪ Slavery: During the Negro slavery which was initiated by the king of Spain on September 3, 1501, several Christian Negro slaves were transported from Spain to the West Indies. These slaves procreated and remained there until their demise.

✪ The search for a better standard of living: This is one of the leading reasons why developed countries have more immigrants than some third-world countries. Sport-persons and other self-made people are known for migrating due to inadequate facilities or structures to support their talents.

✪ Marriage: In some situations, spouses have to join their partners who have permanent residence in another country.

✪ Job opportunities: Not all jobs are available in some parts of the world and if they exist, there are usually limited employment opportunities for the teeming population. If a person is interested in aviation, for instance, the best place to learn is at more developed places in need of such skills.

Another reason is that most professionals are underpaid when compared to their counterparts around the world. So when they get the chance to get better pay for their services, they japa.

✪ Quality education: The lack of basic educational facilities and quality education has driven many to travel abroad. After acquiring the education, most of these may decide to put their knowledge into practice in the host country. If granted a work permit, they end up obtaining a permanent residence permit later.

✪ Ineptitude of leaders: Poor leadership can be another factor that encourages immigration.

✪ System of government: When a country adopts a system of government such as the authoritarian system, those who find it unfavourable migrate to other places where there is a more favourable system of government for their business etc.

✪ Exile: Expatriates relocate to other countries where they can obtain citizenship.

✪ War and terrorism: During war or when there is a terrorist attack, natives flee their home countries to other safer regions. A popular example is a present-day war between Ukraine and Russia.

While trying to settle in other countries, most immigrants encounter a lot of hurdles. A common challenge is that it might be difficult to land a lucrative job easily. They will also have to deal with stereotypes. The blacks, for instance, face discrimination based on their skin pigmentation and are seen to be notorious. In other cases, immigrants might experience xenophobia. An example is what happened in Ghana during the year 2019.

When discussing immigration, its impact on the host country's economy can not be overlooked. This is because immigration can boost the economy in many ways. Take for instance the migration of the indentured Indian labourers between 1838 and 1924. This wave of migration to the West Indies helped fill the vacuum in the labour force which was created after the slave emancipation.

Over the years, many immigrants have discovered that some of their dreams in a foreign country cannot be easily realized. A common cause of this disillusionment is a financial constraint which makes it difficult to fit into the system. Immigrants from supposed third-world countries face more of the harsh reality when they discover that, they are considered less proficient in their areas of specialization, as such, they might be required to retake a course in the area of their interest just to ascertain their proficiency. When this is not possible, they will have to make do with the available employment opportunities.

Those migrating with children are bound to experience more challenges. Reason is predicated on the fact that they will have to spend more on child care. In the case of a family, one spouse might have to spend more time at home just so the child[ren] can be given adequate attention.

Have I ever considered immigrating to another country?
No.

Will I ever consider this?
Maybe when a wrap of foofoo reduces to ONLY two morsels.

Final Thoughts
When all these are considered, one will agree that there is no place like home. The process is usually tedious, however, migrating to developed countries can pave a way to better opportunities.