Migration ICSE Class 8: Types, Push and Pull Factors, Impacts and Brain Drain

What Migration is about

Weightage: CISCE publishes no question paper, marking scheme or chapter weightage for Class VIII Geography: your school sets and marks the exam. Migration sits in the Migration theme of the CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes (VI-VIII).Source: CISCE Curriculum for Upper Primary Classes (VI-VIII), RDCD 2016

Key concepts

Meaning of migration; push and pull factors

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another with the intention of settling there, temporarily or permanently.

• Place of origin: the place people leave. Place of destination: the place they go to.
• Internal migration: within a country (for example from a village in Odisha to Surat). International migration: from one country to another.
• Migrants may move for a season (seasonal migration), for some years, or permanently.

Push factors (drive people out of a place): unemployment and poverty, low wages, lack of land, crop failure, drought or floods, lack of schools and hospitals, conflict, persecution.
Pull factors (attract people to a place): jobs and higher wages, better education and health care, security, better living conditions, family already living there.
Most migration results from a combination of push and pull factors. Better transport and communication make migration easier.

Worked example

(3 marks) What is migration? Give two push factors and two pull factors.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Migration: movement of people from one place to another to settle temporarily or permanently - 1 mark.
2. Push factors: unemployment, poverty, drought, lack of services (any two) - 1 mark.
3. Pull factors: jobs, higher wages, better education and health care (any two) - 1 mark.

Answer: Migration is the movement of people from one place to another to live there, temporarily or permanently. Push factors include unemployment and drought; pull factors include better-paid jobs and better schools and hospitals.

Immigration and emigration

These terms describe international migration from two points of view:

• Emigration: leaving one's own country to live in another. The person is an emigrant from the country of origin.
• Immigration: coming into a country to live there. The person is an immigrant in the country of destination.

The same person is an emigrant from India and an immigrant in, say, Canada.

Examples from the world:

• Countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia have long received large numbers of immigrants from Europe, Asia and other regions.
• Many workers from South Asia, including India, emigrate to work in the Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
• India has one of the largest numbers of emigrants of any country, according to United Nations data, and Indians live and work in many parts of the world.
• People also migrate as refugees to escape war or persecution, for example people who fled the conflict in Syria to neighbouring countries and Europe.

Net migration = immigrants - emigrants. If it is positive, the country gains people; if negative, it loses people.

Worked example

(2 marks) Distinguish between immigration and emigration with an example.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Emigration: leaving one's country to live in another - 1 mark.
2. Immigration: entering another country to live there; e.g. an Indian nurse moving to the UK is an emigrant from India and an immigrant in the UK - 1 mark.

Answer: Emigration is leaving one's own country to settle in another; immigration is entering a country to settle there. For example, an Indian nurse who moves to the UK emigrates from India and immigrates to the UK.

Rural-urban and urban-urban migration

Rural-urban migration: people move from villages to towns and cities.

• This is the most important type of internal migration in developing countries.
• Causes: lack of jobs and low incomes in villages, small landholdings, crop failures; attraction of factory, construction and service jobs, better schools and hospitals in cities.
• Examples: in India, workers from villages of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha migrate to cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Surat; in China, very large numbers of rural people have moved to factory cities on the eastern coast; across Africa and Latin America, cities grow rapidly from rural migration.

Urban-urban migration: people move from one town or city to another.

• Causes: better jobs or promotions, higher education, specialised work, transfers, better quality of life.
• Examples: young professionals moving from smaller cities to Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Pune for jobs in information technology; people in many countries moving from older industrial cities to fast-growing cities elsewhere.

Other internal types: rural-rural (for example, women moving after marriage, or labourers moving to areas with more farm work) and urban-rural (for example, people returning to villages after retirement).

Worked example

(3 marks) Why does rural-urban migration take place in developing countries? Give three reasons.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Lack of jobs and low farm incomes in villages - 1 mark.
2. Jobs in factories, construction and services in cities - 1 mark.
3. Better education, health care and amenities in cities - 1 mark.

Answer: Rural-urban migration takes place because (1) villages offer few jobs and low incomes from small farms, (2) cities offer work in factories, construction and services, and (3) cities have better schools, hospitals and other facilities.

Impact of migration on the place of origin

Positive impacts:
1. Remittances: money sent home by migrants raises family incomes, pays for education, health care and housing. India has been the world's largest recipient of remittances in recent years, according to World Bank data; states such as Kerala benefit greatly from remittances from the Gulf.
2. Reduced pressure on land and on local jobs.
3. Returning migrants bring new skills, ideas and contacts.

Negative impacts:
1. Loss of young, active workers, so farming and local activities may suffer.
2. Changes in population structure: villages may have more women, children and elderly people; the sex ratio of the village rises when men leave.
3. Families are separated; women often take on more responsibilities as heads of households.
4. Some villages become dependent on remittances rather than local development.

Worked example

(3 marks) How does out-migration of men affect a village? Give two positive effects and one negative effect.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Positive: remittances raise family incomes and pay for education and housing - 1 mark.
2. Positive: less pressure on land and jobs / new skills when migrants return - 1 mark.
3. Negative: shortage of young workers; more burden on women and elderly; family separation - 1 mark.

Answer: Positive: (1) money sent home raises incomes and pays for schooling, health care and better houses; (2) there is less pressure on land and local jobs. Negative: the village loses young workers, so women and elderly people carry more of the work and families are separated.

Impact of migration on the place of destination

Positive impacts:
1. Migrants provide labour for factories, construction, transport, domestic work and services, helping the economy grow.
2. Cities and countries gain skilled workers, such as doctors and engineers.
3. Cultural diversity: food, festivals, languages and ideas mix, as in cosmopolitan cities like Mumbai, London or New York.
4. In ageing countries, young immigrants help fill labour shortages.

Negative impacts:
1. Rapid growth of population leads to overcrowding, housing shortages and slums.
2. Pressure on water supply, transport, schools and hospitals.
3. Migrants may face low wages, poor working conditions and lack of social security.
4. Competition for jobs can cause tension between local people and migrants.

Socio-economic structure: migration changes the age and sex structure (more young men in cities), the occupational structure (more people in industry and services) and the cultural make-up of society, both in India and worldwide.

Worked example

(4 marks) Explain two positive and two negative impacts of migration on a city that receives many migrants.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Positive: supply of labour for industries, construction and services - 1 mark.
2. Positive: cultural diversity / skilled workers - 1 mark.
3. Negative: overcrowding, housing shortage and slums - 1 mark.
4. Negative: pressure on water, transport, schools and hospitals / job competition - 1 mark.

Answer: Positive: (1) migrants provide labour for factories, construction and services, helping the city's economy; (2) they bring cultural diversity and skills. Negative: (1) rapid population growth causes overcrowding and slums; (2) water supply, transport, schools and hospitals come under heavy pressure.

Brain drain: causes and impacts in India

Brain drain is the emigration of highly educated and skilled people, such as doctors, engineers, scientists and researchers, from one country to another, usually from developing to developed countries.

Causes:
1. Higher salaries and better career prospects abroad.
2. Better research facilities, equipment and funding.
3. Better working conditions and recognition of merit.
4. Higher quality of life: infrastructure, public services, environment.
5. Limited seats or jobs in some specialised fields at home.
6. Opportunities for higher education abroad, after which many settle there.

Positive impacts on India:
1. Remittances from skilled emigrants add to family and national income.
2. Some return with experience, skills and contacts ('brain gain').
3. The Indian diaspora builds business links, investment and India's image abroad.
4. Knowledge and technology flow back through networks.

Negative impacts on India:
1. India loses talented people whose education was often subsidised by public funds.
2. Shortage of skilled professionals, such as specialist doctors and researchers, at home.
3. Slower innovation and development.
4. The benefits of India's investment in education go mainly to other countries.

Worked example

(4 marks) What is brain drain? State two causes and one positive and one negative impact for India.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Brain drain: emigration of highly skilled and educated people to other countries - 1 mark.
2. Causes: higher pay; better research facilities and working conditions - 1 mark.
3. Positive: remittances / brain gain when they return / diaspora links - 1 mark.
4. Negative: loss of public investment in education; shortage of skilled professionals - 1 mark.

Answer: Brain drain is the emigration of highly educated and skilled people, such as doctors and engineers. Causes include higher salaries and better research facilities and working conditions abroad. A positive impact is the money and knowledge they send or bring back; a negative impact is that India loses talent trained with public money and faces shortages of skilled professionals.

Migration in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Brain Drain: Causes and Impacts in India
• Types of Migration: Push and Pull Factors with Examples

Migration: key facts

Net migration

$Netmigration=immigrants(in-migrants)-emigrants(out-migrants)$

Positive = gain; negative = loss.

Net migration rate

$Netmigrationrate=(in-out)/populationx1,000$

Per 1,000 people.

Gross migration

$Grossmigration=in-migrants+out-migrants$

Total movement.

Types

$International:immigration,emigration;internal:rural-urban,urban-urban,rural-rural,urban-rural$

How the school exam asks Migration

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Migration

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• Immigration vs emigration

  Immigration = In; Emigration = Exit.

  Use it when: Telling the two apart.

• Brain drain causes: P-R-W-Q

  Pay, Research facilities, Working conditions, Quality of life.

  Use it when: Causes of brain drain.

• Two sides of the coin

  Origin: money in, people out. Destination: people in, pressure up.

  Use it when: Impacts at origin and destination.

Migration: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section B style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In a school exam set on the board pattern this is a 8-mark question split into 3 + 2 + 3 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Migration

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Mixing up immigration and emigration

  Same journey, different viewpoints.

  ✓Do this: Immigrant from the destination's view; emigrant from the origin's view.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Giving only negative impacts of migration

  Focus on slums.

  ✓Do this: Give both sides at origin and destination: remittances and labour supply are positives.

  Usually costs: 1-2 marks.

• ✗Mistake: Defining brain drain as 'any emigration'

  Missing the skill element.

  ✓Do this: Brain drain is emigration of highly educated and skilled people.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Giving examples without places

  Vague answers.

  ✓Do this: Name places: Bihar to Mumbai, Kerala to the Gulf, India to the USA.

  Usually costs: 1 mark in example questions.

Practice questions on Migration

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQExam level

   A person who leaves India to settle in Canada is, for India, an:
   (a) immigrant
   (b) emigrant
   (c) in-migrant
   (d) internal migrant

   Hint

   Exit.

   Answer

   (b) emigrant.

2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQExam level

   Which of the following is a pull factor?
   (a) Drought
   (b) Unemployment
   (c) Better hospitals
   (d) Conflict

   Hint

   Attracts people.

   Answer

   (c) Better hospitals.

3. Q3 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder exam level

   What is seasonal migration? Give one example.

   Hint

   Moves for a part of the year.

   Answer

   Migration for a part of the year, after which people return home; for example, farm labourers who move to other states during harvest season, or brick-kiln workers who migrate in the dry season.

4. Q4 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level

   What are remittances?

   Hint

   Money sent home.

   Answer

   Money sent home by migrants to their families at the place of origin.

5. Q5 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder exam level

   Why do Gulf countries attract many workers from India?

   Hint

   Oil wealth, small population.

   Answer

   Their oil-based economies have created many jobs in construction, services and industry, while their own populations are small, so they need foreign workers and offer higher wages than many jobs at home.

6. Q6 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder exam level

   What is meant by 'brain gain'?

   Hint

   The reverse.

   Answer

   The benefit a country receives when skilled people who had emigrated return, or share their knowledge, skills, investment and contacts with their home country.

7. Q7 · 2 marks · Very short answerExam level

   State two reasons for urban-urban migration.

   Hint

   Jobs and study.

   Answer

   Better or specialised jobs and promotions in bigger cities, and higher education opportunities (also job transfers and better amenities).

8. Q8 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder exam level

   Explain how rural-urban migration can lead to the growth of slums.

   Hint

   Housing cannot keep up.

   Answer

   Migrants arrive faster than affordable housing can be built. With low incomes, many cannot pay city rents and settle on vacant land near workplaces, building temporary shelters without proper water, sanitation or drainage. These areas grow into slums.

9. Q9 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

   Why is brain drain a greater loss for a developing country than for a developed one?

   Hint

   Scarcity and public money.

   Answer

   Developing countries have fewer skilled professionals to begin with and often train them with public subsidies. When they leave, the country loses scarce expertise needed for development, such as doctors in rural areas, while the receiving developed country gains trained workers at no cost.

10. Q10 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    Suppose a state government wants to reduce distress migration from its villages. Suggest three measures, giving a reason for each.

    Hint

    Create jobs and services locally.

    Answer

    (1) Provide irrigation and drought-resistant crops so farming is less risky. (2) Encourage small industries, food processing and rural employment schemes so people earn locally. (3) Improve schools, health centres, roads and internet in villages so people need not move for basic services. These reduce push factors that force people to leave.

11. Q11 · 1 mark · Very short answerExam level

    Name two countries that have received large numbers of immigrants.

    Hint

    North America and Oceania.

    Answer

    The USA and Canada (also Australia).

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.What is internal migration?Show answer

   Migration within a country.

2. 2.Give one example of urban-urban migration.Show answer

   Moving from Kolkata to Bengaluru for an IT job.

3. 3.Net migration if 500 come in and 800 leave?Show answer

   -300.

4. 4.What is brain drain?Show answer

   Emigration of highly educated and skilled people.

5. 5.Which Indian state is known for large remittances from the Gulf?Show answer

   Kerala.

6. 6.Which type of internal migration most drives city growth in developing countries?Show answer

   Rural-urban migration.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Migration: movement to live elsewhere, temporarily or permanently; internal or international.
• ☐Push: unemployment, poverty, drought, conflict. Pull: jobs, wages, services, safety.
• ☐Emigration: leaving a country; immigration: entering one. Examples: to USA, Canada, Australia; Indians to the Gulf.
• ☐Rural-urban: villages to cities (Bihar to Mumbai; rural China to coastal cities). Urban-urban: city to city (Kolkata to Bengaluru).
• ☐Origin: remittances, less pressure on land; loss of young workers, high sex ratio, burden on women. Destination: labour, diversity; slums, pressure on services.
• ☐Brain drain: skilled emigrate for pay, research, conditions; + remittances, brain gain, diaspora; - loss of subsidised talent, shortages.

Migration: frequently asked questions