Every year large numbers of people migrate from one country to another for different reasons. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of migration for the individual and for society as a whole.

Migration is the process of moving from one place to another; it could be a

country

, state or province. As with all concepts, there are merits and demerits of

this

occurrence, especially, when emigrating from a host

country

to another.

This

essay will highlight its benefits and its counterpart to the person as well as society.

First

of all, migration presents an advantage to the individual by availing him or her more opportunities and experiences, to thrive in an ever growing society. An immigrant, is presented with a new set of people, culture and language; interactions with the new situation can aid greatly in developing character, learning new strategies for development and in the case of children as well as adults, even learning a new language. Studies have shown that people who can speak more than one language and have a good range of cultural experiences, have higher opportunities for employment.

On the other hand

, involuntary migration, usually caused by factors beyond human control,

such

as: natural disasters, war and famine, can leave an emigrant feeling displaced. As an immigrant, he or she is faced with culture shock

as a result

of inadequate preparation and can sometimes face discrimination. An article published in an economic journal, highlights how societies with diverse cultures, especially in developed countries face difficulties in trusting one another due to racial hostilities and suspicion.

Lastly

, the countries involved (previous and present province), benefit as well as suffer in consequence to the situation. An advantage to the host

country

is an increment in human resources,

although

this

can be a bad thing as well, often resulting in overpopulation and increased competition for menial jobs. In a similar fashion, the previous

country

of residence, can benefit by show of an increase in natural resources;

this

situation can

also

cost the nation valuable human potential vital to their economic development. Good case studies include countries

such

as: Nigeria and America; the former sees a substantial decrease in population, as skilled professionals are emigrating in search of better opportunities, which is a terrible loss to the nation; the latter party (America), in

this

case can comfortably attribute its growth to the influx of immigrants and

as a result

, the diversity of cultures. In summary, migration affects the individual as well as society negatively and positively with regard to increased opportunities, hostilities, additional resources and overpopulation.