MYTH: Only few countries accept migrants

MYTH: Only few countries accept migrants

Virtually every country in the world opens its doors to at least a few immigrants. Traditionally, a handful of countries — the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia — welcomed the majority of immigrants, but things are changing. Today, there are 70 countries where at least 10% of the population are foreign-born, according to United Nations figures. 

Some countries, such as Italy and Spain, have transformed themselves from nations of net emigration to nations of net immigration. Spain being one of the 10 biggest immigrant magnets in the world. Germany has never considered itself a nation of immigrants, but recent migration trends suggest otherwise. More than 9% of the German population are foreign-born - mostly immigrants from Poland and Turkey. Germany, like many countries, does not gain" "birthright citizenship"." That means that children of immigrants, born on German soil, do not automatically become German citizens. In some Persian Gulf countries, such as Qatar, more than 80% of the population consist of foreign guest workers.

Of course, whether you can migrate will depend very much on your passport and intended destination. Some countries (North Korea, Eritrea) just aren’t very open to migrants. Others, such as Micronesia, Dominica, Haiti, Macau and Hong Kong, are the world’s least restrictive destinations, and there are relatively open countries in the Caribbean, east Africa and the Indian Ocean.

By contrast, the world’s most restrictive nations are in the former Soviet Union, north and central Africa, the Arabian peninsula, as well as China and the United States, with Europe, Brazil and Mexico not far behind.

IMAGE CREDIT: IOM

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