Immigration. There are different kinds of Immigration that have cropped up since World War II in Europe. This essay will explain and analyse the cause of this such as the push and pull forces and Lees model.

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Since World War II immigration to and within Europe had emerged. This is mainly due to the different aspects that affect immigration, such as political, economic, social and environmental factors. Immigration occurs both on an international and national level, where the migration can be voluntary or forced; usually with the aim of permanent settlement in the adopted country. Population movements from place to place range in scale and distance. Some movements are continuous and regular, such as voluntary retirement moves from UK to Spain. Other movements may be one-off and permanent, due to forced migration such as refugee movements in former Yugoslavia. There are different kinds of Immigration that have cropped up since World War II in Europe. This essay will explain and analyse the cause of this such as the push and pull forces and ‘Lee’s model’. Case studies relevant to this will be discussed, such as the ‘guest worker in Germany’, the political immigration of the ‘Russian Jews to Isreal’ and the forced migration in Kosovo.

The causes of international migration are mainly because of push and pull factors; both voluntary and non-voluntary. ‘Push forces’ are pressures which persuade a person to move away from an area and might include the impact of natural hazards, low wages or poor schools. ‘Pull forces’ are those which attract the migrant to a particular destination. (emigrationexpert.co.uk: N/D). They fall into five categories: physical, demographic, economic, social and political factors. Examples of ‘push forces’ branch from ill health, natural disaster, harsh climate, inaccessibility, to unemployment, poverty, heavy taxes, civil unrest, ethnic cleansing…etc. Examples of ‘pull forces’ are a hazard-free environment, family or ethnic ties, high living standards, better salary, good welfare services, freedom of speech, propaganda...etc.

However, there is a much more detailed theory to why people immigrate, which is known as ‘Lee’s model’. It sees the places of departure and arrival as possessing a series of attributes. Each person perceives these attribute another way, depending on individual characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, socio-economic class and education. Some of the attributes of the present location will be regarded positively and they will persuade the person to stay put. Others will be seen negatively and will encourage migration. Others will be perceived neutrally and so have no influence on the decision- making process. Lee’s model introduces another modification to the simple push-pull model (Warn.S & Naish.M, page 139). This answers the question to why immigration takes place.

Europe, in fact the whole world experiences forms of migration. This stems from internal migration which is moving to a new home within a state, country, or continent, and external migration which is moving to a new home in a different state, country, or continent. There is also the form of emigration, which is Leaving one country to move to another (e.g., the Pilgrims emigrated from England), and immigration, which is moving into a new country (e.g., the Pilgrims immigrated to America). There is also population transfer, when a government forces a large group of people out of a region, frequently based on ethnicity or religion. This is also known as an involuntary or forced migration. Another form is encouraged migration (also called "reluctant" or "imposed" migration). Individuals are not forced out of their country, but leave because of unfavourable situations such as warfare, political problems, or religious persecution.

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The movement of Russian Jews to Isreal illustrates a clear example of voluntary immigration. In 1950 (after World War II), the parliament of the newly-established state of Isreal passed a law that gave Jews anywhere in the world the right to enter and settle in the country. After that, Jews from all over the world decided to return to what they regard as there ‘spiritual home’. One of the largest flows of voluntary immigration was from the former Soviet Union. In a period of 25 years, no less than one million Russian Jews made the move. Since Jews in ...

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