MIGRATIONS OF INDIANS (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Population and Issues)

Context: Indians are now the third-largest population of illegal immigrants in the US, according to a report by Pew Research Center.

• At present nearly 725,000 Indians live illegally in the States, although the actual number may be higher. 
• After India, Guatemala comes in fourth followed by Honduras.

Migration of Indians to Other Countries

• About: India has the largest diaspora population in the world with 18 million people from the country living outside their homeland.
• According to the 'International Migration 2020 Highlights', by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the UAE, the US, and Saudi Arabia host the largest number of migrants from India.

Reason for Migration

• Economic Migration refers to migrating for career growth or for job search.
• Social Migration refers to relocating in search of better life quality or to be near to family and relatives.
• Political Migration is in situations where the person is willing to escape adverse scenarios like war or political persecution.
• Environmental Migrations are done in situations of natural disasters.
• Illegal Migrants: Individuals from foreign nations entering the country without proper travel documents are regarded as unauthorized migrants.
• Refugee: As per the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees and its subsequent 1967 Protocol, a refugee is defined as an individual who finds themselves outside their country of origin due to a justifiable fear of persecution based on factors like race, religion, nationality, belonging to a specific social group, or political beliefs, and is unable or unwilling to return.