Impact on Source and destination regions

♤ Immigration may adversely affect political stability if conflict becomes endemic among heterogeneous groups of people living in close proximity due to the process of migration.

♤ A demographic shift in favor of immigrants may adversely affect incumbents control over resources and make them economically vulnerable. Societies may also react unfavorably to immigration if immigrants are perceived to be a social or an economic burden.

♤ Immigration may impinge upon the capacity of the state to provide the public with adequate housing, education and transportation services, engendering local resentment and backlash against immigrants. For example in the United States the dominant perception of immigrants as nonworking beneficiaries, or even abusers, of a generous welfare system’ fuels anti-immigrant sentiments.

♤ Immigrant receiving countries may find preserving their languages, values, norms and customs challenging in the face of immigration. European security discourses, for example, regularly feature discussions about the threat to European culture coming from the influx of Muslim immigrants who are unwilling or incapable of integrating into the society. In

response to this threat, countries are increasingly adopting stringent residency requirements that stipulate immigrants to study the local language, culture and history to be eligible for residency permit.

♤ It also adversely affects the quantity and quality of labor available for production as the most skilled and educated workers in the economy flee to avoid persecution (in the wake of political upheaval) or leave in search of better economic opportunities. Consequently, the level of output would decline and the economy would not be on an optimal growth trajectory.