Technology Assisting Growth in International Migration

Leaving a home for a new home is always a big change, but leaving a country for an entirely new country is quite something else. In 2005, there were 191 million migrants worldwide doing just that. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 3% of the world's population lives outside their place of birth. In general, North America has been the consistent destination for many of those migrants, as it has seen increases in the percentages of migrants coming to the continent while most other places around the world have seen decreases.

A Transnational Migrant Community

The IOM notes that transportation and communication technology is creating a transnational migrant community. Partly, it's because people around the world can see and compare their living situations. They now have the tools to leave those situations to share in the wealth of other nations. Migrants also includes professionals who can find areas of the world where their skills are in high demand. This has lead to the growing acceptance of dual citizenship, multiple property ownership, and even dual voting rights, according to the IOM.

It pretty much goes without saying that the Internet and new developments in phone technology are helping facilitate this global trend. These new opportunities in communications (VoIP, mobile VoIP, Smartphones, etc.) continue to let many migrants stay in touch wherever their new homes are.

Affordable Phone Calls

Seeing these trends in migration is one of the reasons that working at jaxtr is a lot of fun. We get a chance to help expatriates and migrants stay connected with their loved ones in 220 countries. (Check out the rates sheet to find out the costs for calling your home.)

Leaving a country doesn't mean leaving everyone behind anymore. With airlines, mobile phones, and the Internet, staying in touch while living somewhere else in the world has never been easier.