Objectives: This article presents an overview of global migration and the unique issues facing immigrants, host countries, and practitioners, identifying considerations for practice. Background: Perceptions of the effects of human migration are major drivers of country attitudes, policies, and programs. Increasingly complex global interconnectedness has altered relationships among sending, receiving, and transit countries. The Global North, with its aging and declining populations, requires a healthy and young workforce; the Global South, with limited resources, a high birthrate, and an overall youthful population, can fill the gaps of the former, but with several implications for receiving and sending nations. Methods and results: This article reviews literature and data on current migration worldwide, with particular emphasis on immigration. Despite the complexities of human migration and extant theories that dissect the phenomenon, the fundamental elements of Lee's early push-and-pull theory of migration continue to hold true. Generally, people are drawn to improved opportunities or leave challenging environments, whether temporarily or permanently. Two salient dimensions undergird the study of migration: (1) migration trends—who migrates and why, and the size and direction of migration flows; and (2) the impact of migration—how migration changes receiving, transit, and sending countries. Receiving/transit nations are particularly apprehensive about whether immigrants fill their needs and how they impact resources. They speculate about immigrant preparedness for the workforce, ability to integrate into the society, and consequences for the racial/phenotypic profile of the nation. Immigrants also experience these worries. Conclusions: Ethnicity, which is associated with common ancestry and culture, including language, religion, traditions, and behavioral norms, often contributes to, and challenges, a receiving nation's world view. This can have implications for several segments of its society, including the health profession, which could find that in the delivery of services it must grapple with the complex relationship between migrant, health, and health services utilization. © 2019

Migrant integration Perceptions of migrants Migration flows

perception immigrant globalization immigration human aging Ethnic Groups Internationality ethnic group controlled study international cooperation language religion workforce Humans occupation Article health care utilization human experiment migration Emigration and Immigration ethnicity