Economic migrant

An economic migrant is someone who emigrates from one region to another to seek an improvement in living standards because the living conditions or job opportunities in the migrant's own region are not good. The United Nations uses the term migrant worker. The term economic migrant is often confused with the term refugee, but economic migrants leave their country due to bad economic conditions, not due to fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, or ethnicity.

People who intend to work in another country can obtain authorization to do so; some migrants may enter under false pretenses, such as tourism, or cross the border illegally (illegal immigrant). People who work legally in another country are often described as immigrants or expatriates.

Many countries have restrictions that prohibit people from entering the country to work unless they have been granted a visa which permits this. Persons who are believed to be trying to enter a country to obtain employment may be refused entry. Illegal immigrants and people who seek paid employment after entering the country without authorization to work may be subject to deportation.

The World Bank estimates that remittances totaled US$420 billion in 2009, of which $317 billion went to developing countries.

There is much to be considered regarding economic migration: for the country the migrants are leaving, the country to which they are migrating, and the migrants themselves. With economic migration on a large scale, we often see that the majority of migrants are working age people. This places a strain on the country that the migrants leave; as working age people exit the country, the elderly population remains - thus straining the economy. However, the advantage to this country could be a release of pressure on the current job market and resources. Looking at the nation that the migrants enter, the inflow of migrants is a source of cheap labour. In some cases, the immigrants in the country are skilled and looking for specialized jobs. The inflow of migrants could also bring about cultural diversity.

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