150-466: Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents . Commuters , tourists , and other short-term stays in a destination country do not fall under the definition of immigration or migration; seasonal labour immigration is sometimes included, however. As for economic effects, research suggests that migration
300-686: A brain drain with professionals like doctors and nurses going abroad for better-paying jobs. As of 2014, about 16.3 million people with an immigrant background were living in Germany, accounting for every fifth person. Of those 16.3 million, 8.2 million had no German citizenship, more than ever before. Most of them had Turkish , Eastern European or Southern European background. The majority of new foreigners coming to Germany in 2014 were from new EU member states such as Poland , Romania , Bulgaria and Croatia , non-EU European countries like Albania , North Macedonia , Switzerland and Norway or from
450-408: A dictatorship . Some migration is for personal reasons, based on a relationship (e.g. to be with family or a partner), such as in family reunification or transnational marriage (especially in the instance of a gender imbalance ). Recent research has found gender, age, and cross-cultural differences in the ownership of the idea to immigrate. In a few cases, an individual may wish to immigrate to
600-635: A natural experiment when 125,000 Cubans (Marielitos) came to Miami after a sudden relaxation in emigration rules. It lacked the limitations of previous studies, including that migrants often choose high-wage cities, so increases in wages could simply be a result of the economic success of the city rather than the migrants. But the Marielitos chose Miami simply because it was near Cuba rather than for lucrative wages. Preceding studies were also limited in that firms and natives may respond to migration and its effects by moving to more lucrative areas. However,
750-526: A 2005 essay, "Unsettlement": ...What is this thing country? What does country mean? ... I spoke with others who said country meant Home, but who added the caveat that Home resided in people rather than places – a kind of portable Country... I tried to tease out some ways in which non-Indigenous people have understood country. I made categories: Country as Economy. Country as Geography. Country as Society. Country as Myth. Country as History. For all that I walked, slept, breathed and dreamed Country,
900-622: A 2007 literature review by the Congressional Budget Office , "Over the past two decades, most efforts to estimate the fiscal impact of immigration in the United States have concluded that, in aggregate and over the long term, tax revenues of all types generated by immigrants—both legal and unauthorized—exceed the cost of the services they use." A 2022 study found that the sharp reduction in refugee admissions adversely affected public coffers at all levels of government in
1050-487: A German company. The legislation enables those with substantial professional experience or training to acquire a work permit and makes it easier for those with vocational experience or with a university degree to obtain residence permits. The new law relaxes requirements for obtaining an EU Blue Card . Blue Cards enable highly skilled applicants to stay in an EU country, and the 2023 reforms lowered minimum annual wage requirements and guaranteed greater mobility within
1200-540: A combination of many different feelings, and language relating to one's homeland, including ethnic, cultural, political, or historical aspects. It encompasses a set of concepts closely related to nationalism , mostly civic nationalism and sometimes cultural nationalism . Several organizations seek to identify trends to produce economy country classifications. Countries are often distinguished as developing countries or developed countries . The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs annually produces
1350-713: A contract of employment: religious missionaries and employees of transnational corporations , international non-governmental organizations , and the diplomatic service expect, by definition, to work "overseas". They are often referred to as " expatriates ", and their conditions of employment are typically equal to or better than those applying in the host country (for similar work). Non-economic push factors include persecution (religious and otherwise), frequent abuse, bullying , oppression , ethnic cleansing , genocide , risks to civilians during war , and social marginalization. Political motives traditionally motivate refugee flows; for instance, people may emigrate in order to escape
1500-649: A country in its own right, called constituent countries. The Danish Realm consists of Denmark proper , the Faroe Islands , and Greenland . The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of the Netherlands proper , Aruba , Curaçao , and Sint Maarten . The United Kingdom consists of England , Scotland , Wales , and Northern Ireland . Dependent territories are the territories of a sovereign state that are outside of its proper territory. These include
1650-406: A different country. Barriers to immigration come not only in legal form or political form; natural and social barriers to immigration can also be very powerful. Immigrants when leaving their country also leave everything familiar: their family, friends, support network, and culture. They also need to liquidate their assets, and they incur the expense of moving. When they arrive in a new country, this
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#17327649086301800-469: A duration of two years, after which the recruited workers were supposed to return to their home countries. However, many companies repeatedly renewed the work permits; some of the bilateral treaties were even updated to give workers permanent residency upon arrival. As a result, even though many did ultimately return to their countries of origin, several million of the recruited workers and their families ended up settling in Germany permanently. Nevertheless,
1950-490: A factor of two to three upon migration. A survey of leading economists shows a consensus behind the view that high-skilled immigration makes the average American better off. A survey of the same economists also shows support behind the notion that low-skilled immigration makes the average American better off and makes many low-skilled American workers substantially worse off unless they are compensated by others. Studies show more mixed results for low-skilled natives, but whether
2100-457: A government not under another, and the capacity to interact with other states. The declarative theory outlined in the 1933 Montevideo Convention describes a state in Article 1 as: The Montevideo Convention in Article 3 implies that a sovereign state can still be a sovereign state even if no other countries recognise that it exists. As a restatement of customary international law ,
2250-509: A group they remain overrepresented in unemployment statistics, which experts ascribe to a combination of red tape and refugees' difficulty in finding housing. Employment among Syrians and Afghans, the two most common nationalities among the 2015–2016 refugee arrivals, rose by 79% and 40%, respectively, between 2017 and 2018. The 2018 Ellwangen police raid , in which residents of a migrant shelter rioted to prevent police from deporting an asylum seeker whose claim had been deemed invalid, sparked
2400-535: A major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War , which began in Donbas in 2014. In addition to tens of thousands of deaths on both sides, this invasion has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II, with around 7.5 million Ukrainians fleeing the country and a third of the population displaced. Accordingly, by October 2022, Germany had recorded net immigration of 750,000 people from Ukraine in
2550-423: A more competitive labor market. The government argues that Germany, facing a shortage of skilled workers, must attract new talent by facilitating immigration for work and by upending citizenship uptake laws that were among the world's most restrictive. The government's actions were a response to long standing demands from progressives to modernize German immigration policy and from industry leaders to combat
2700-549: A nearly unqualified right to asylum . Around 300,000 Iranians fled from persecution in the wake of the Iranian Revolution between 1979 and 1986 alone. Notable numbers of asylum seekers came from Turkey after a military coup in 1980 and, separately, due to ongoing persecution of Turkish Kurds in the country. Several thousand people also sought refuge in Germany from the Lebanese Civil War . Due to
2850-468: A new country in a form of transferred patriotism . Evasion of criminal justice (e.g., avoiding arrest ) is a personal motivation. This type of emigration and immigration is not normally legal, if a crime is internationally recognized, although criminals may disguise their identities or find other loopholes to evade detection. For example, there have been reports of war criminals disguising themselves as victims of war or conflict and then pursuing asylum in
3000-987: A new major religion. Those with security concerns cite the 2005 French riots and point to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy as examples of the value conflicts arising from immigration of Muslims in Western Europe . Because of all these associations, immigration has become an emotional political issue in many European nations. Studies have suggested that some special interest groups lobby for less immigration for their own group and more immigration for other groups since they see effects of immigration, such as increased labor competition, as detrimental when affecting their own group but beneficial when impacting other groups. A 2010 European study suggested that "employers are more likely to be pro-immigration than employees, provided that immigrants are thought to compete with employees who are already in
3150-412: A number of non-sovereign entities are commonly called countries. No definition is binding on all the members of the community of nations on the criteria for statehood. State practice relating to the recognition of a country typically falls somewhere between the declaratory and constitutive approaches. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined territory,
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#17327649086303300-759: A particular profession may aggravate underemployment in that profession, but increase wages for other natives; for instance, a 2017 study in Science found that "the influx of foreign-born computer scientists since the early 1990s... increased the size of the US IT sector... benefited consumers via lower prices and more efficient products... raised overall worker incomes by 0.2 to 0.3% but decreased wages of U.S. computer scientists by 2.6 to 5.1%." A 2019 study found that foreign college workers in STEM occupations did not displace native college workers in STEM occupations, but instead had
3450-541: A person entering the country for the purposes of gaining work without a valid work visa. As a violation of a State's immigration laws a person who is declared to be an economic migrant can be refused entry into a country. The World Bank estimates that remittances totaled $ 420 billion in 2009, of which $ 317 billion went to developing countries. A survey of European economists shows a consensus that freer movement of people to live and work across borders within Europe makes
3600-807: A political entity may be referred to as a "country", such as the West Country in England, "big sky country" (used in various contexts of the American West ), "coal country" (used to describe coal-mining regions ), or simply "the country" (used to describe a rural area ). The term "country" is also used as a qualifier descriptively, such as country music or country living . The word country comes from Old French contrée , which derives from Vulgar Latin ( terra ) contrata ("(land) lying opposite"; "(land) spread before"), derived from contra ("against, opposite"). It most likely entered
3750-608: A positive impact on long-run economic development. A 2016 paper by University of Southern Denmark and University of Copenhagen economists found that the 1924 immigration restrictions enacted in the United States impaired the economy. The view that economic impact on the average native tends to be only small and positive is disputed by some studies, such as a 2023 statistical analysis of historical immigration data in Netherlands which found economic effects with both larger positive and negative net contributions per capita depending on different factors including previous education and income of
3900-404: A positive impact on the latter group's wages. A 2021 study similarly found that highly educated immigrants to Switzerland caused wages to increase for highly educated Swiss natives. A 2019 study found that greater immigration led to less off-shoring by firms. By increasing overall demand, immigrants could push natives out of low-skilled manual labor into better paying occupations. A 2018 study in
4050-649: A post-racial society and called the foreign workers socialist "friends" who would learn skills which could then be applied in their home countries. In reality, racism and exploitation were widespread. The workers were generally strictly segregated from locals and did menial work that locals refused to do. Considerable portions of their paychecks were often diverted to their home governments, making their livelihoods precarious. Female Vertragsarbeiter were not allowed to become pregnant during their stay. If they did, they were forced to have an abortion or faced deportation . Following German reunification in 1990, many of
4200-529: A result, refugees in Hungary requested to be allowed leave for Germany; several thousand began making their way across Hungary and Austria towards Germany on foot. Claiming it was no longer able to process asylum claims properly, Hungary began providing buses for refugees to the Austrian border. Responding to a wave of public sympathy in reaction to widely broadcast scenes of police brutality and refugees dying at
4350-436: A separate " country of origin " in international trade, such as Hong Kong , Greenland , and Macau . Symbols of a country may incorporate cultural , religious or political symbols of any nation that the country includes. Many categories of symbols can be seen in flags, coats of arms, or seals. Most countries have a long name and a short name. The long name is typically used in formal contexts and often describes
4500-415: A shortage of skilled labor. By making it easier for job applicants to work in Germany, the government hopes to support a stable supply of skilled professionals that ensure German economic growth and competitiveness In July 2024, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck suggested the tax relief for skilled foreign workers. However, the citizenship reforms incited vigorous debate, causing a scandal involving
4650-463: A significant political debate. In 2015, most Germans were very supportive of the large numbers of refugees arriving in Germany. Then- chancellor Angela Merkel declared in a speech, “ Wir schaffen das " (roughly, "we can do this"), which was widely used by news media as well as the public as a defining statement of her policy during the crisis. In 2015, the brunt of the European immigration crisis
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4800-470: A sizable population of refugees "trapped" in the country. The Hungarian government began to house refugees in camps under squalid conditions. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees , overwhelmed with the task of processing the sheer number of incoming asylum claims, was unable to prioritize deporting refugees to Hungary and decided to suspend enforcement of the Dublin regulation for Syrian nationals. As
4950-521: A special group. Since 2005, recognized refugees enjoy the same rights as people who were granted asylum. Germany's national ban on deportation doesn't permit returning refugees to their home country should doing so place them in imminent danger or that doing so would break EU human rights laws. This policy is a major catalyst to the large influx of Syrian refugees following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War. The distribution of refugees among
5100-510: A study, immigration was only responsible for 5% of the increase in wage inequality in the US between 1980 and 2000. Measuring the national impact of immigration on the change of total GDP or on the change of GDP per capita can have distinct results. David Card's 1990 work - considered a landmark study in the topic - found no impact on native wages or employment rates. It followed the Mariel boatlift ,
5250-545: A year what is the equivalent of working one day in the developed world. A slight reduction in the barriers to labor mobility between the developing and developed world could do more to reduce poverty in the developing world than any remaining trade liberalization. Studies show that the elimination of barriers to migration could have profound effects on world GDP, with estimates of gains ranging between 67 and 147.3%. Research also finds that migration leads to greater trade in goods and services, and increases in financial flows between
5400-446: A year, with the potential to extend the chance card by two years based on employment. Chance card holders must have a university degree or professional training, and must also demonstrate some German proficiency or advanced English skills. Further, the reforms dropped the longstanding restrictions on dual citizenship , allowing most German citizens to hold multiple passports. This change brings German citizenship policy in line with
5550-456: Is NZ$ 315,000 in net present value terms (approximately US$ 237,000). A 2017 study of Mexican immigrant households in the United States found that by virtue of moving to the United States, the households increase their incomes more than fivefold immediately. The study also found that the "average gains accruing to migrants surpass those of even the most successful current programs of economic development." A 2017 study of European migrant workers in
5700-485: Is a distinct part of the world , such as a state , nation , or other political entity . When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state , states with limited recognition , constituent country , or a dependent territory . Most sovereign states, but not all countries, are members of the United Nations . There is no universal agreement on the number of "countries" in
5850-407: Is a traditional push factor, and the availability of jobs is the related pull factor. Natural disasters can amplify poverty-driven migration flows. Research shows that for middle-income countries, higher temperatures increase emigration rates to urban areas and to other countries. For low-income countries, higher temperatures reduce emigration. Emigration and immigration are sometimes mandatory in
6000-476: Is also used for the sense of native sovereign territory , such as the widespread use of Indian country in the United States. The term "country" in English may also be wielded to describe rural areas , or used in the form "countryside." Raymond Williams , a Welsh scholar, wrote in 1975: 'Country' and 'city' are very powerful words, and this is not surprising when we remember how much they seem to stand for in
6150-480: Is an act of sovereignty pertaining each member of the international community, an act to be taken individually, and it is, therefore, up to member states and each OAU power [to decide] whether to recognise or not the newly independent state. Some countries, such as Taiwan , Sahrawi Republic and Kosovo have disputed sovereignty and/or limited recognition among some countries. Some sovereign states are unions of separate polities, each of which may also be considered
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6300-442: Is beneficial both to the receiving and sending countries. Research, with few exceptions, finds that immigration on average has positive economic effects on the native population, but is mixed as to whether low-skilled immigration adversely affects underprivileged natives. Studies suggest that the elimination of barriers to migration would have profound effects on world GDP , with estimates of gains ranging between 67 and 147 percent for
6450-518: Is clear that the relationships between 'country' and 'nation' are so different from one [place] to the next as to be impossible to fold into a dichotomous opposition as they are into a promiscuous fusion." Areas much smaller than a political state may be referred to as countries, such as the West Country in England, "big sky country" (used in various contexts of the American West ), "coal country" (used to describe coal-mining regions in several sovereign states) and many other terms. The word "country"
6600-413: Is not clear how they should be assessed. We attribute so many different kinds of properties to countries, speaking as though a country can feature wheat fields waving or be girt by sea, can have a founding date and be democratic and free, can be English speaking, culturally diverse, war torn or Islamic. Melissa Lucashenko , an Aboriginal Australian writer, expressed the difficulty of defining "country" in
6750-402: Is often with many uncertainties including finding work, where to live, new laws, new cultural norms, language or accent issues, possible racism , and other exclusionary behavior towards them and their family. The politics of immigration have become increasingly associated with other issues, such as national security and terrorism , especially in western Europe, with the presence of Islam as
6900-410: The constitutive theory a state is a legal entity of international law if, and only if, it is recognised as sovereign by at least one other country. Because of this, new states could not immediately become part of the international community or be bound by international law, and recognised nations did not have to respect international law in their dealings with them. In 1912, L. F. L. Oppenheim said
7050-628: The American Economic Review found that the Bracero program (which allowed almost half a million Mexican workers to do seasonal farm labor in the United States) did not have any adverse impact on the labor market outcomes of American-born farm workers. A 2019 study by economic historians found that immigration restrictions implemented in the 1920s had an adverse impact on US-born workers' earnings. A 2011 literature review of
7200-644: The Bundestag to significantly curtail the previously unqualified right to asylum in Germany, which former German refugees had "held sacred because of their reliance on it to escape the Nazi regime " and which required a constitutional amendment . Applications from people entering Germany after passing through other European Community member states, where they theoretically could have already applied for asylum, were now refused, as were applications from nationals of designated safe countries. Though only about 5 percent of
7350-531: The Holocaust , in which almost all remaining German Jews and many other religious or ethnic groups, such as German Roma , were systematically murdered. In the decades since, Germany has experienced renewed immigration, particularly from Eastern and Southern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. Since 1990, Germany has consistently ranked as one of the five most popular destination countries for immigrants in
7500-580: The Holy Roman Empire and the German Confederation , were common destinations for the persecuted or migrant workers. Early examples include Protestants seeking religious freedom and refugees from the partitions of Poland . Jewish migrants, mostly from Eastern Europe, was also significant in successive waves. In the 20th century, rising antisemitism and xenophobia resulted in the mass emigration of German Jews and culminated in
7650-528: The Middle East , Africa , East Asia , South Asia , Southeast Asia , South America , North America , Australia and New Zealand . Due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, many people are hoping to seek asylum in the European Union and Germany. The vast majority of immigrants are residing in the so-called old states of Germany . In 2022, there were 23.8 million people, 28.7 percent of
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#17327649086307800-528: The Soviet Union , Poland and Romania . Germany initially received around 40,000 per year. In 1987, the number doubled, in 1988 it doubled again and in 1990 nearly 400,000 immigrated. Upon arrival, ethnic Germans became citizens at once according to Article 116 of the Basic Law, and received financial and many social benefits, including language training, as many did not speak German. Social integration
7950-582: The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572, around 40,000 of whom settled in what is now Germany. Although many returned to France after the 1598 Edict of Nantes , which proclaimed a policy of religious tolerance towards Huguenots, repeated waves of conflict and persecution over the next few centuries spurred new waves of emigration. Brandenburg-Prussia , Hesse-Kassel , Brandenburg-Bayreuth , and Hanover were major destinations of Huguenots during this time. Several thousand English and Scottish Presbyterians also fled
8100-567: The United Kingdom , Russia , and the Soviet Union ). These are sometimes referred to as national anthems even though they are not sovereign states (for example, " Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau " is used for Wales, part of the United Kingdom). A positive emotional connection to a country a person belongs to is called patriotism . Patriotism is a sense of love for, devotion to, and sense of attachment to one's country. This attachment can be
8250-557: The United Kingdom . Canada , France , Saudi Arabia , Australia , Germany , Spain , Italy , and the United Arab Emirates made up the rest of the top ten desired destination countries. In USA there were in 2023 1,197,254 immigration applications initial receipts, 523,477 immigration cases completed, and 2,464,021 immigration cases pending according to the U.S. Department of Justice. One theory of immigration distinguishes between push and pull factors , referring to
8400-606: The World Economic Situation and Prospects Report classifies states as developed countries, economies in transition, or developing countries. The report classifies country development based on per capita gross national income (GNI). The UN identifies subgroups within broad categories based on geographical location or ad hoc criteria. The UN outlines the geographical regions for developing economies like Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Latin America, and
8550-514: The Yugoslav wars in the 1990s and the Syrian civil war in the 2010s. Motivated in part by low birth rates and labour shortages, German government policy towards immigration has generally been relatively liberal since the 1950s, although conservative politicians resisted the normalization of Germany as a country of immigrants and citizenship laws accordingly remained relatively restrictive until
8700-624: The overseas territories of New Zealand , the dependencies of Norway , the British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies , the territories of the United States , the external territories of Australia , the special administrative regions of China , the autonomous regions of the Danish Realm, Åland , Overseas France , and the Caribbean Netherlands . Some dependent territories are treated as
8850-482: The 16th and 17th centuries led large numbers of Protestants to settle in Protestant — or at least religiously tolerant — principalities and cities of the Holy Roman Empire , much of which would later become Germany. According to one estimate, a total of 100,000 Protestants moved from Habsburg lands to what is now southern and central Germany in the 17th century. Large numbers of Huguenots also fled France after
9000-541: The 19th century, national flags came to represent most of the states of Europe. Flags also began fostering a sense of unity between different peoples, such as the Union Jack representing a union between England and Scotland , or began to represent unity between nations in a perceived shared struggle, for example, the Pan-Slavic colors or later Pan-Arab colors . As Europeans colonized significant portions of
9150-668: The 19th century, some national anthems predate this period, often existing as patriotic songs long before designation as national anthem. Several countries remain without an official national anthem. In these cases, there are established de facto anthems played at sporting events or diplomatic receptions. These include the United Kingdom (" God Save the King ") and Sweden ( Du gamla, Du fria ). Some sovereign states that are made up of multiple countries or constituencies have associated musical compositions for each of them (such as with
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#17327649086309300-560: The 2019 Skilled Immigration Act. In order to qualify for a visa under the new rules, applicants must obtain official recognition of their professional qualification from a certification authority recognized by the German government. Further, the applicant must meet language competency requirements and obtain a declaration from their prospective employer. International students make up nearly 15 percent of Germany's student population, with 325,000 international students studying in Germany during
9450-592: The 2020 fiscal year, the World Bank defines low-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita of $ 1,025 or less in 2018; lower-middle-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita between $ 1,026 and $ 3,995; upper-middle-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita between $ 3,996 and $ 12,375; high-income economies as countries with a GNI per capita of $ 12,376 or more.. It also identifies regional trends. The World Bank defines its regions as East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and
9600-449: The Age of Mass Migration (1850–1920) contributed to "higher incomes, higher productivity, more innovation, and more industrialization" in the short-run and "higher incomes, less poverty, less unemployment, higher rates of urbanization, and greater educational attainment" in the long-run for the United States. Research also shows that migration to Latin America during the Age of Mass Migration had
9750-484: The Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Lastly, the World Bank distinguishes countries based on its operational policies. The three categories include International Development Association (IDA) countries, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) countries, and Blend countries. Immigration to Germany Immigration to Germany , both in
9900-651: The Caribbean. The 2019 report recognizes only developed countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. The majority of economies in transition and developing countries are found in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The World Bank also classifies countries based on GNI per capita. The World Bank Atlas method classifies countries as low-income economies, lower-middle-income economies, upper-middle-income economies, or high-income economies. For
10050-507: The EU in order to encourage more applicants to use the system. Further, family reunification services are expedited for Blue Card holders, effectively easing immigration for families of Blue Card applicants. The new legislation also introduces a so-called chance card, which gives applicants without a job offer but with enough qualifications the opportunity to live and work in Germany. Successful applicants are allowed to seek employment for up to
10200-555: The English language after the Franco-Norman invasion during the 11th century. In English the word has increasingly become associated with political divisions, so that one sense, associated with the indefinite article – "a country" – is now frequently applied as a synonym for a state or a former sovereign state. It may also be used as a synonym for "nation". Taking as examples Canada , Sri Lanka , and Yugoslavia , cultural anthropologist Clifford Geertz wrote in 1997 that "it
10350-406: The German government established a cap limiting ethnic German immigration to 220,000 people per year, which was later lowered to 100,000. In total, more than 4.5 million ethnic Germans moved to Germany between 1990 and 2007. And in parallel, a third stream of immigration starting in the mid-1980s were war refugees , of which West Germany accepted more than any other West European country due to
10500-717: The Montevideo Convention merely codified existing legal norms and its principles, and therefore does not apply merely to the signatories of international organizations (such as the United Nations ), but to all subjects of international law as a whole. A similar opinion has been expressed by the European Economic Community , reiterated by the European Union , in the principal statement of its Badinter Committee , and by Judge Challis Professor , James Crawford . According to
10650-516: The UK shows that upon accession to the EU, the migrant workers see a substantial positive impact on their earnings. The data indicate that acquiring EU status raises earnings for the workers by giving them the right to freely change jobs. A 2017 study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that immigrants from middle- and low-income countries to the United States increased their wages by
10800-555: The United States found that "refugees that enter the U.S. before age 14 graduate high school and enter college at the same rate as natives. Refugees that enter as older teenagers have lower attainment with much of the difference attributable to language barriers and because many in this group are not accompanied by a parent to the U.S." Refugees that entered the U.S. at ages 18–45, have "much lower levels of education and poorer language skills than natives and outcomes are initially poor with low employment, high welfare use and low earnings." But
10950-575: The United States pay "$ 21,000 more in taxes than they receive in benefits over their first 20 years in the U.S." An internal study by the Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration, which was suppressed and not shown to the public, found that refugees to the United States brought in $ 63 billion more in government revenues than they cost the government. According to University of California, Davis , labor economist Giovanni Peri ,
11100-431: The United States. A 2018 study found that inflows of asylum seekers into Western Europe from 1985 to 2015 had a net positive fiscal impact. Research has shown that EU immigrants made a net positive fiscal contribution to Denmark and the United Kingdom. A 2017 study found that when Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants to the United Kingdom gained permission to acquire welfare benefits in 2014 that it had no discernible impact on
11250-566: The West ( Übersiedler ) had begun with the gradual opening of the Eastern bloc . In 1990, the year of German reunification , the number swelled to 389,000. As Eastern bloc countries gradually began to open their borders in the 1980s, large numbers of ethnic Germans from these countries began to move to Germany. German law at the time recognized an almost unlimited right of return for people of German descent, of whom there were several million in
11400-403: The anti-immigrant far-right Alternative for Germany (in German, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD). The government argues that the reforms create opportunity and provide security for the 14% of the population that do not have citizenship, aligning German policy with that of Western peers like Canada and France. Opposition leaders argue that the changes devalue German citizenship and introduce
11550-518: The asylum applications were approved and appeals sometimes took years to be processed, many asylum seekers were able to stay in Germany and received financial and social aid from the government. In June 2015, new arrivals of asylum seekers, which had been increasing steadily for years, began to rise sharply, driven especially by refugees fleeing wars in Syria , Iraq and Afghanistan . An original projection of 450,000 asylum seekers entering Germany for
11700-687: The authors of the study find that "outcomes improve considerably as refugees age." A 2017 study found that the 0.5 million Portuguese who returned to Portugal from Mozambique and Angola in the mid-1970s lowered labor productivity and wages. A 2018 paper found that the areas in Greece that took on a larger share of Greek Orthodox refugees from the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922 "have today higher earnings, higher levels of household wealth, greater educational attainment, as well as larger financial and manufacturing sectors." Country A country
11850-435: The average European better off, and strong support behind the notion that it has not made low-skilled Europeans worse off. According to David Card , Christian Dustmann, and Ian Preston, "most existing studies of the economic impacts of immigration suggest these impacts are small, and on average benefit the native population". In a survey of the existing literature, Örn B Bodvarsson and Hendrik Van den Berg write, "a comparison of
12000-460: The country has also seen several distinct major waves of immigration. These include the forced resettlement of ethnic Germans from eastern Europe after World War II, the guest worker programme of the 1950s–1970s , and ethnic Germans from former Communist states claiming their right of return after the breakup of the Soviet Union . Germany also accepted significant numbers of refugees from
12150-419: The country's form of government. The short name is the country's common name by which it is typically identified. The International Organization for Standardization maintains a list of country codes as part of ISO 3166 to designate each country with a two-letter country code . The name of a country can hold cultural and diplomatic significance. Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso to reflect
12300-490: The country's modern borders and the many political entities that preceded it, has occurred throughout the country's history. Today, Germany is one of the most popular destinations for immigrants in the world, with well over 1 million people moving there each year since 2013. As of 2019, around 13.7 million people living in Germany, or about 17% of the population, are first-generation immigrants. Even before Germany 's formal founding in 1871, its predecessor states, such as
12450-485: The country. ' " Several countries have been accused of encouraging immigration to other countries in order to create divisions. The term economic migrant refers to someone who has travelled from one region to another region for the purposes of seeking employment and an improvement in quality of life and access to resources. An economic migrant is distinct from someone who is a refugee fleeing persecution. Many countries have immigration and visa restrictions that prohibit
12600-399: The country. Or else, when immigrants are thought to compete with employers rather than employees, employers are more likely to be anti-immigration than employees." A 2011 study examining the voting of US representatives on migration policy suggests that "representatives from more skilled labor abundant districts are more likely to support an open immigration policy towards the unskilled, whereas
12750-430: The economic impacts of immigration found that the net fiscal impact of migrants varies across studies but that the most credible analyses typically find small and positive fiscal effects on average. According to the authors, "the net social impact of an immigrant over his or her lifetime depends substantially and in predictable ways on the immigrant's age at arrival, education, reason for migration, and similar". According to
12900-537: The economic, political, and social influences by which people migrate from or to specific countries. Immigrants are motivated to leave their former countries of citizenship, or habitual residence, for a variety of reasons, including: a lack of local access to resources , a desire for economic prosperity , to find or engage in paid work, to better their standard of living , family reunification , retirement , climate or environmentally induced migration, exile , escape from prejudice, conflict or natural disaster, or simply
13050-435: The economy, housing, health care, media, and politics in the United States and Europe. The term immigration was coined in the 17th century, referring to non-warlike population movements between the emerging nation states . When people cross national borders during their migration, they are called migrants or immigrants (from Latin: migrare , 'wanderer') from the perspective of the destination country. In contrast, from
13200-535: The effects are positive or negative, they tend to be small either way. Research indicates immigrants are more likely to work in risky jobs than U.S.-born workers, partly due to differences in average characteristics, such as immigrants' lower English language ability and educational attainment. According to a 2017 survey of the existing economic literature, studies on high-skilled migrants "rarely find adverse wage and employment consequences, and longer time horizons tend to show greater gains". Competition from immigrants in
13350-429: The employing country in order to stimulate the economy and offset their impacts. According to economists Michael Clemens and Lant Pritchett , "permitting people to move from low-productivity places to high-productivity places appears to be by far the most efficient generalized policy tool, at the margin, for poverty reduction". A successful two-year in situ anti-poverty program, for instance, helps poor people make in
13500-441: The encouragement towards immigrating to a particular country. In the case of economic migration (usually labor migration), differentials in wage rates are common. If the value of wages in the new country surpasses the value of wages in one's native country, he or she may choose to migrate, as long as the costs are not too high. Particularly in the 19th century, economic expansion of the US increased immigrant flow, and nearly 15% of
13650-531: The end of French colonization, and the name of North Macedonia was disputed for years due to a conflict with the similarly named Macedonia region in Greece . The ISO 3166-1 standard currently comprises 249 countries, 193 of which are sovereign states that are members of the United Nations. Originally, flags representing a country would generally be the personal flag of its rulers; however, over time,
13800-482: The evidence from all the studies... makes it clear that, with very few exceptions, there is no strong statistical support for the view held by many members of the public, mainly that immigration has an adverse effect on native-born workers in the destination country." Research also suggests that diversity and immigration have a net positive effect on productivity and economic prosperity. Immigration has also been associated with reductions in offshoring . A study found that
13950-466: The existing literature suggests that there are no economic reasons why the American labor market could not easily absorb 100,000 Syrian refugees in a year. A 2017 paper looking at the long-term impact of refugees on the American labor market over the period 1980–2010 found "that there is no adverse long-run impact of refugees on the U.S. labor market." A 2022 study by economist Michael Clemens found that
14100-404: The experience of human communities. In English, 'country' is both a nation and a part of a 'land'; 'the country' can be the whole society or its rural area. In the long history of human settlements, this connection between the land from which directly or indirectly we all get our living and the achievements of human society has been deeply known. The unclear definition of "country" in modern English
14250-623: The face of AfD approaching victory in the next elections. German asylum law is based on the 1993 amendment of article 16a of the Basic Law as well as on the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees . In accordance with the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees , Germany grants refugee status to persons that are facing prosecution because of their race, religion, nationality or belonging to
14400-412: The federal states is calculated using the "Königsteiner Schlüssel", which is recalculated annually. Germany hosts one of the largest populations of Turkish people outside Turkey. Kurds make up 80 to 90 percent of all Turkish refugees in Germany while the rest of the refugees are former Turkish military officers, teachers, and other types of public servants who fled the authoritarian government following
14550-587: The first EU country they set foot in, which for about the 85% of sea arrivals was Greece , and for about 15%, Italy . However, instead of applying there, many attempted to travel to Northern and Western European countries, mostly by traveling through the Balkans and re-entering the EU through Hungary or Croatia. As a result, Hungary registered 150,000 asylum seekers by August 2015. However, the vast majority of these refugees had no desire to remain in Hungary and wanted to move on to Western or Northern Europe, leading to
14700-498: The first half of 2022, according to the office, responsible for collecting information on German society, economy, and the environment. That influx pushed Germany's population growth to 1%, or about 843,000 people, in the first half of the year. Germany's population rose to an all-time high of 84.3 million people in 2022. In 2023, 1,933,000 people immigrated to Germany, including 276,000 from Ukraine and 126,000 from Turkey , while 1,270,000 people emigrated. Net immigration to Germany
14850-508: The following, regarding constitutive theory: International Law does not say that a State is not in existence as long as it is not recognised, but it takes no notice of it before its recognition. Through recognition only and exclusively a State becomes an International Person and a subject of International Law. In 1976 the Organisation of African Unity define state recognition as: ..the recognition of an independent and sovereign state
15000-503: The formation of a center-left government which promised to reform immigration law. In 2023, the coalition began implementing a series of reforms including the Skilled Workers Immigration Act (in German, Fachkräfteeinwanderungsgesetz , or FEG) that among other things eased requirements for foreign workers, relaxed naturalization requirements and legalized multiple citizenship. The Counter-Reformation in
15150-447: The government by covering the victims of immigration and by showing individual stories, which humanized them. The widespread sexual assaults on New Year's Eve of 2015 , for which a significant number of suspects were asylum seekers, marked a shift in the tone of media coverage and public opinion towards refugees, though the government noted refugees were, statistically, no more likely than locals to commit crimes. Between 2010 and 2016,
15300-588: The government continued to encourage the public perception of the arriving immigrants as temporary guest workers ( Gastarbeiter) and for many years made little provision for their integration into German society. East Germany set up similar foreign recruitment schemes, although at much smaller scales and exclusively with other socialist states. Most foreign workers recruited to East Germany, known locally as Vertragsarbeiter , came from North Vietnam (ca. 60,000), Cuba (30,000), Mozambique (21,000) and Angola (6,000). The government portrayed East Germany as
15450-450: The hands of smugglers in Hungary, and unable to keep the migrants out of the country without resorting to brutal force, the German and Austrian chancellors, Angela Merkel and Werner Faymann decided to allow the refugees in. The publicity from this decision led hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the Syrian civil war to make for Germany. Although the number of refugees in formal employment more than tripled between 2016 and 2019, as
15600-422: The highest number since 2016, when 722,370 people applied for asylum. People from Ukraine are not included. Most asylum seekers in 2023 were from Turkey, Syria and Afghanistan. In September 2023, more than 120 boats carrying approximately 7,000 migrants from Africa arrived on the island of Lampedusa within 24 hours. Some of the migrants were relocated to Germany. On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in
15750-411: The immigrant. Effects may vary due to factors like the migrants' age, education, reason for migration, the strength of the economy, and how long ago the migration took place. Low-skill immigration has been linked to greater income inequality in the native population, but overall immigration was found to account for a relatively small share of the rise of native wage inequality. For example, according to
15900-451: The immigrants' use of welfare benefits. A paper by a group of French economists found that over the period 1980–2015, "international migration had a positive impact on the economic and fiscal performance of OECD countries." A 2023 study in the Netherlands found both large positive and large negative fiscal impact depending on previous education and income of immigrant. A 2017 survey of leading economists found that 34% of economists agreed with
16050-470: The labor market effects, while varied, are very limited, and can in fact be positive." A 2018 study in the Economic Journal found that Vietnamese refugees to the United States had a positive impact on American exports, as exports to Vietnam grew most in US states with larger Vietnamese populations. A 2018 study in the journal Science Advances found that asylum seekers entering Western Europe in
16200-454: The language still would not come. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state , states with limited recognition , constituent country , or a dependent territory . A sovereign state is a political entity that has supreme legitimate authority over a part of the world. There is no universal agreement on the number of "countries" in the world since several states have disputed sovereignty status, and
16350-591: The lottery winners saw a 263% increase in income from migrating (after only one year in New Zealand) relative to the unsuccessful lottery entrants. A longer-term study on the Tongan lottery winners finds that they "continue to earn almost 300 percent more than non-migrants, have better mental health, live in households with more than 250 percent higher expenditure, own more vehicles, and have more durable assets". A conservative estimate of their lifetime gain to migration
16500-578: The meeting triggered massive public backlash as tens of thousands of Germans gathered in major cities like Stuttgart , Berlin and Munich to protest the plan. The AfD distanced itself from the event and insisted that it was not sponsored by the party. A deal signed by both countries in September 2024 opened German labour market for up to a quarter of a million skilled and semi skilled workers from Kenya. It also included an agreement on readmission and return of unwanted individuals. The arrangement came in
16650-404: The mid-2000s. A major reform of immigration law in 2005 saw the state commit, for the first time, resources to the integration of newcomers and significantly liberalised the labour market for skilled professionals while restricting it for unskilled labourers . Smaller immigration reforms in 2009, 2012 and 2020 contributed to the broad trend of liberalisation. The 2021 federal elections saw
16800-523: The most migrants worldwide. Saudi Arabia hosts 10 million migrants, followed by the United Kingdom (9 million) and the United Arab Emirates (8 million). In most parts of the world, migration occurs between countries that are located within the same major area. Between 2000 and 2015, Asia added more international migrants than any other major area in the world, gaining 26 million. Europe added the second largest with about 20 million. In 2015,
16950-695: The new formed States of post-war Germany and Allied-occupied Austria , because of changing borderlines in Europe. Due to a shortage of laborers during the Wirtschaftswunder ("economic miracle") in the 1950s and 1960s, the West German government signed bilateral recruitment agreements with Italy in 1955, Greece in 1960, Turkey in 1961, Morocco in 1963, Portugal in 1964, Tunisia in 1965 and Yugoslavia in 1968. These agreements allowed German companies to recruit foreign citizens to work in Germany. The work permits were at first issued for
17100-409: The number of Muslims living in Germany increased from 3.3 million (4.1% of the population) to nearly 5 million (6.1%). The most important factor in the growth of Germany’s Muslim population is immigration. The intake of refugees in Germany temporarily decreased in the following years, while deportations increased and leveled out at around 20,000. 352,000 people applied for asylum in Germany in 2023,
17250-649: The number of international migrants below the age of 20 reached 37 million, while 177 million are between the ages of 20 and 64. International migrants living in Africa were the youngest, with a median age of 29, followed by Asia (35 years), and Latin America/Caribbean (36 years), while migrants were older in Northern America (42 years), Europe (43 years), and Oceania (44 years). Nearly half (43%) of all international migrants originate in Asia, and Europe
17400-465: The number of international migrants has reached 244 million worldwide, which reflects a 41% increase since 2000. The largest number of international migrants live in the United States , with 19% of the world's total. One third of the world's international migrants are living in just 20 countries. Germany and Russia host 12 million migrants each, taking the second and third place in countries with
17550-566: The opposite is true for representatives from more unskilled labor abundant districts." Another contributing factor may be lobbying by earlier immigrants. The chairman for the US Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform—which lobby for more permissive rules for immigrants, as well as special arrangements just for Irish people—has stated that "the Irish Lobby will push for any special arrangement it can get—'as will every other ethnic group in
17700-565: The outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars in 1991, large numbers of refugees headed to Germany and other European countries. Between 1990 and 1992 nearly 900,000 people sought asylum in a united Germany. In 1992 Germany admitted almost 70 percent of all asylum seekers registered in the European Community . By comparison, only about 100,000 people sought asylum in the U.S in the same year. The growing numbers of asylum seekers led
17850-454: The part of expanding populations. Colonialism involves expansion of sedentary populations into previously only sparsely settled territories or territories with no permanent settlements. In the modern period , human migration has primarily taken the form of migration within and between existing sovereign states , either controlled (legal immigration) or uncontrolled and in violation of immigration laws ( illegal immigration ). As of 2015,
18000-403: The period 1985–2015 had a positive macroeconomic and fiscal impact. A 2019 study found that the mass influx of 1.3 million Syrian refugees to Jordan (total population: 6.6 million) did not have harm the labor market outcomes of native Jordanians. A 2020 study found that Syrian refugees to Turkey improved the productivity of Turkish firms. A 2017 paper by Evans and Fitzgerald found that refugees to
18150-462: The perspective of the country from which they leave, they are called emigrants or outmigrants . Human migration is the movement by people from one place to another, particularly different countries, with the intention of settling temporarily or permanently in the new location. It typically involves movements over long distances and from one country or region to another. The number of people involved in every wave of immigration differs depending on
18300-556: The population was foreign-born , thus making up a significant amount of the labor force. As transportation technology improved, travel time, and costs decreased dramatically between the 18th and early 20th century. Travel across the Atlantic used to take up to 5 weeks in the 18th century, but around the time of the 20th century it took a mere 8 days. When the opportunity cost is lower, the immigration rates tend to be higher. Escape from poverty (personal or for relatives staying behind)
18450-424: The potential for introducing domestically political conflict from abroad. The AfD 's political rise in Germany is credited to the political saliency of immigration. The party strongly opposes the citizenship reforms. In 2024, party members were caught meeting with neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists to discuss the forcible "remigration" of German citizens they deemed insufficiently assimilated . News of
18600-499: The practice of using personal banners as flags of places was abandoned in favor of flags that had some significance to the nation, often its patron saint. Early examples of these were the maritime republics such as Genoa which could be said to have a national flag as early as the 12th century. However, these were still mostly used in the context of marine identification. Although some flags date back earlier, widespread use of flags outside of military or naval context begins only with
18750-516: The relationship between immigration and crime worldwide, but finds for the United States that immigration either has no impact on the crime rate or that it reduces the crime rate. Research shows that country of origin matters for speed and depth of immigrant assimilation, but that there is considerable assimilation overall for both first- and second-generation immigrants. Research has found extensive evidence of discrimination against foreign-born and minority populations in criminal justice, business,
18900-422: The rest of the world which is increasingly shifting towards an acceptance of multiple citizenship. In addition to this change, legal residents only have to wait five years before qualifying for naturalization , as opposed to the previous eight . The traffic light coalition that was created after the 2021 federal elections committed to implementing immigration reforms in an effort to make Germany
19050-561: The rise of the idea of the nation state at the end of the 18th century and particularly are a product of the Age of Revolution . Revolutions such as those in France and America called for people to begin thinking of themselves as citizens as opposed to subjects under a king, and thus necessitated flags that represented the collective citizenry, not just the power and right of a ruling family. With nationalism becoming common across Europe in
19200-504: The roughly 90,000 foreign workers living in what had been East Germany had no legal status as immigrant workers under the Western system. Consequently, many faced deportation or premature termination of residence and work permits, as well as open discrimination in the workplace and racism in everyday life. The vast majority ultimately returned to their home countries. During the 1980s, a small but steady stream of East Germans immigrating to
19350-495: The same skills and language proficiencies of natives. For instance, a 2013 study of Germans in West-Germany who had been displaced from Eastern Europe during and after World War II showed that the forced German migrants did far worse economically than their native West-German counterparts decades later. Second-generation forced German migrants also did worse in economic terms than their native counterparts. A study of refugees to
19500-446: The scenarios in which 37 to 53 percent of the developing countries' workers migrate to the developed countries. Some development economists argue that reducing barriers to labor mobility between developing countries and developed countries would be one of the most efficient tools of poverty reduction. Positive net immigration can soften the demographic dilemma in the aging global North. The academic literature provides mixed findings for
19650-468: The sending and receiving countries. Greater openness to low-skilled immigration in wealthy countries could drastically reduce global income inequality. According to Branko Milanović , country of residency is by far the most important determinant of global income inequality, which suggests that the reduction in labor barriers could significantly reduce global income inequality. Research on a migration lottery allowing Tongans to move to New Zealand found that
19800-448: The sharp reduction in refugee admissions in the United States since 2017 had cost the U.S. economy over $ 9.1 billion per year and cost public coffers over $ 2 billion per year. Refugees integrate more slowly into host countries' labor markets than labor migrants, in part due to the loss and depreciation of human capital and credentials during the asylum procedure. Refugees tend to do worse in economic terms than natives, even when they have
19950-522: The six-month period of this migration was too brief for most firms or individuals to leave Miami. Another natural experiment followed a group of Czech workers who, shortly after the fall of the Berlin wall, were suddenly able to work in Germany though they continued to live in Czechia. It found significant declines in native wages and employment as a result. It is argued migrants must also spend their wages in
20100-639: The specific circumstances. Historically, early human migration includes the peopling of the world , i.e. migration to world regions where there was previously no human habitation, during the Upper Paleolithic . Since the Neolithic , most migrations (except for the peopling of remote regions such as the Arctic or the Pacific ), were predominantly warlike, consisting of conquest or Landnahme on
20250-490: The statement "The influx of refugees into Germany beginning in the summer of 2015 will generate net economic benefits for German citizens over the succeeding decade", whereas 38% were uncertain and 6% disagreed. Studies of refugees' impact on native welfare are scant but the existing literature shows mixed results (negative, positive and no significant effects). According to economist Michael Clemens, "when economists have studied past influxes of refugees and migrants they have found
20400-463: The study of flags, vexillology , at both professional and amateur levels, emerged. After World War II, Western vexillology went through a phase of rapid development, with many research facilities and publications being established. A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. Though the custom of an officially adopted national anthem became popular only in
20550-627: The total population, who had a migration background. European Union free movement of workers principles require that all EU member state citizens have the right to solicit and obtain work in Germany regardless of citizenship. These basic rules for freedom of movement are given in Article 39 of the Treaty on the European Union. Immigration to Germany as a non- EU - citizen is limited to skilled or highly educated workers and their immediate family members. In April 2012, European Blue Card legislation
20700-566: The violent reign of Mary Tudor ; many settled in Frankfurt . Many Dutch Calvinists settled in northwestern Germany after the Dutch Revolt . Towards the end of World War II , and in its aftermath, up to 12 million refugees of ethnic Germans , so-called " Heimatvertriebene " (German for "expellees", literally "homeland displaced persons") were forced to migrate from the former German areas, as for instance Silesia or East Prussia , to
20850-563: The whole of 2015 was revised upwards to 800,000 in August and again in September to over 1 million. The actual final number was 1.1 million; Germany spent about €16 billion (0.5% of GDP) on processing and housing refugees that year. Most of the refugees entering Western and Central Europe around this time came by land via the so-called "Balkan route." According to an EU law (the Dublin regulation ), refugees were required to file asylum claims in
21000-532: The winter semester 2020/2021. According to a study from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), around 54 percent of foreign students in Germany decide to stay after graduation. Substantial reforms began to be enacted in 2023, touching many aspects of German immigration policy. The Skilled Workers Immigration Act updates previous immigration legislation concerning the ability of foreign workers to find work in Germany or begin employment at
21150-477: The wish to change one's quality of life . Commuters , tourists , and other short-term stays in a destination country do not fall under the definition of immigration or migration; seasonal labour immigration is sometimes included, however. Push factors (or determinant factors) refer primarily to the motive for leaving one's country of origin (either voluntarily or involuntarily ), whereas pull factors (or attraction factors) refer to one's motivations behind or
21300-422: The world since several states have disputed sovereignty status, limited recognition and a number of non-sovereign entities are commonly considered countries. The definition and usage of the word "country" are flexible and have changed over time. The Economist wrote in 2010 that "any attempt to find a clear definition of a country soon runs into a thicket of exceptions and anomalies." Areas much smaller than
21450-460: The world, they exported ideas of nationhood and national symbols, including flags, with the adoption of a flag becoming seen as integral to the nation-building process. Political change, social reform, and revolutions combined with a growing sense of nationhood among ordinary people in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the birth of new nations and flags around the globe. With so many flags being created, interest in these designs began to develop and
21600-434: The world. According to the federal statistics office in 2016, over one in five Germans has at least partial roots outside of the country. In modern Germany, immigration has generally risen and fallen with the country's economy. The economic boom of the 2010s, coupled with the elimination of working visa requirements for many EU citizens, brought a sustained inflow from elsewhere in Europe. Separate from economic trends ,
21750-488: Was 663,000 in 2023, down from a record 1,462,000 in 2022. In September 2024, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kenyan President William Ruto signed an agreement that opened the German labor market to up to 250,000 skilled and semi-skilled migrant workers from Kenya . The German government has already signed or is negotiating migration partnerships with Morocco , Nigeria , India , Colombia , Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan , Georgia and Moldova . There are concerns about
21900-504: Was further commented upon by philosopher Simon Keller: Often, a country is presumed to be identical with a collection of citizens. Sometimes, people say that a country is a project, or an idea, or an ideal. Occasionally, philosophers entertain more metaphysically ambitious pictures, suggesting that a country is an organic entity with its own independent life and character, or that a country is an autonomous agent, just like you or me. Such claims are rarely explained or defended, however, and it
22050-420: Was implemented in Germany, allowing highly skilled non-EU citizens easier access to work and live in Germany. Although uptake of the scheme has grown steadily since then, its use remains modest; around 27,000 blue cards were issued in Germany in 2018. Self-employment requires either an initial investment of EUR 250,000 and the creation of a minimum of 5 jobs. New regulations were enacted in 2020 in response to
22200-428: Was often difficult, even though ethnic Germans were entitled to German citizenship, but to many Germans they did not seem German. In 1991, restrictions went into effect, in that ethnic Germans were assigned to certain areas, losing benefits if they moved. The German government also encouraged the estimated several million ethnic Germans living in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to remain there. From 1993 to 1999,
22350-705: Was placed on Germany when 890,000 refugees crossed the border and applied for asylum, most of them fleeing from the Syrian War. By 2018, 670,000 out of 700,000 Syrians living in Germany immigrated as a result of internal strife and conflict in Syria beginning in 2011. A 2015 survey shows that 46% of the entire German population was facilitating help in some way for refugees. All over, German citizens were creating initiatives and support groups for asylum seekers as well as donating their time to help on-site with refugees. Media helped shape German attitudes as well as put pressure on
22500-513: Was the birthplace of the second largest number of migrants (25%), followed by Latin America (15%). India has the largest diaspora in the world (16 million people), followed by Mexico (12 million) and Russia (11 million). A 2012 survey by Gallup found that given the opportunity, 640 million adults would migrate to another country, with 23% of these would-be immigrant choosing the United States as their desired future residence, while 7% of respondents, representing 45 million people, would choose
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