Module 1: Glossary

A

Asylum – Protection granted by a country to foreign nationals fleeing persecution.

Asylum Seeker – A person who has applied for asylum but has not yet received refugee status.

Alien – A non-citizen residing in a country.

Assimilation – The process through which migrants or minority groups gradually adopt the cultural norms, values, behaviors, and language of the dominant society, often leading to a loss of their original cultural identity. Unlike integration or multiculturalism, assimilation implies a more complete absorption into the host culture, sometimes enforced through policies that discourage cultural diversity.

Authoritarian regime – a system of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a single ruler or a small group, with limited political freedoms and little to no democratic participation. Such regimes often suppress dissent, control the media, and restrict civil liberties. Decision-making is centralized, and opposition is either eliminated or severely restricted through coercion, censorship, or force.

B

Border Control – Measures taken to regulate and monitor entry and exit across borders.

Brain Drain – The emigration of skilled professionals from one country to another.

Border Security – Policies and enforcement mechanisms designed to prevent unauthorized migration.

C

Citizenship – Legal membership in a country, granting rights and responsibilities.

Circular Migration – The temporary and repetitive movement of migrant workers between countries.

Country of Origin – The country a migrant comes from.

Country of Transit – A country through which migrants pass on their way to their final destination. It may serve as a temporary stop due to legal, economic, or logistical reasons. Transit countries often experience migration-related challenges, including border control, temporary asylum applications, and humanitarian responsibilities. The role of a transit country varies depending on migration policies, geopolitical conditions, and international agreements.

Climate Migration – The movement of people due to environmental factors, such as rising sea levels, droughts, or natural disasters.

D

Dehumanization of Migrants – The process of portraying migrants as a threat, stripping them of individual identities, and reducing them to statistics or stereotypes.

Deportation – The forced removal of a foreign national from a country.

Detention Center – Facilities where migrants are held while awaiting legal decisions on their status.

Diaspora – A group of people who have migrated from their homeland and maintain a connection to it.

Displacement – Forced movement of people due to war, persecution, or disasters.

E

Emigration – The act of leaving one’s country to settle in another.

Environmental migration – Movement caused by sudden or progressive changes in the environment that adversely affect the lives or living conditions of people who are obliged to leave their habitual homes, or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad.

Economic Migrant – A person who moves to improve their economic situation.

Expulsion – The formal removal of non-citizens from a country.

Exile – The state of being barred from one’s native country, often for political reasons.

Externalization of Borders – The practice of outsourcing border control to third countries to prevent migration before reaching destination countries (e.g., EU agreements with Libya or Turkey).

F

Forced Migration – Movement due to conflict, persecution, or disasters.

Foreign National – A person who is not a citizen of the country they are in.

Family Reunification – The process of allowing family members to join migrants in their host country.

G

Guest Worker – A foreign national who works temporarily in another country.

Ghettoization – The process in which migrants or displaced populations are confined to specific, often marginalized, areas.

H

Hierarchies of Belonging – structured and often unequal ways in which individuals or groups (e.g. migrants or displaced) are granted social, political, and legal membership within a society. These hierarchies determine who is fully accepted, who is conditionally included, and who is excluded based on factors such as citizenship, ethnicity, legal status or cultural assimilation.

Host Country – The country where a migrant resides.

Humanitarian Corridor – Safe passage routes established for displaced people in conflict zones.

I

Immigration – The act of entering a country to live permanently.

Internally Displaced Person (IDP) – A person forced to flee their home but remains within their country. Alternative definitions:

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) – Persons or groups of persons who have been forced or (IDPs) obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of, or in order to avoid, the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border.

Internally displaced people are those who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of conflict, violence, or disasters and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border. This figure continues to rise as more people flee each year, adding to the numbers of those who have been living in displacement for years or even decades and have not yet achieved a durable solution (2024 Global Report on Internal Displacement)

International Migrant (short-term) – a person who moves to a country other than that of his or her usual residence for at least 3 months, but less than a year.

International Migrant (long-term) – a person who moves to a country other than that of his or her usual residence for at least a year. Even if a person obtained citizenship in their new country, they are still counted as immigrants in migration statistics.

Integration – The process of migrants adapting to and becoming part of a new society.

Invisible Borders – Social, legal, and economic barriers that affect migrants’ mobility and integration, even within host societies.

Intersectionality in Migration – The study of how factors such as gender, race, and socioeconomic status shape migrants’ experiences.

Illegal (Undocumented) Immigration – The unauthorized entry, stay, or work of a person in a foreign country.

Irregular Migration – The movement of people outside regulated legal channels.

L

Labor Migration – The movement of people for employment purposes.

Legal Status – A migrant’s rights and recognition under a country’s laws.

Liminality – A concept derived from anthropology, referring to a state of being ‘in between’ or transitional. It describes the condition of migrants, refugees, or displaced individuals who exist in a threshold or liminal space, neither fully belonging to their country of origin nor to their destination.

M

Media Framing of Migration – The ways in which media representations shape public perception of migration, often emphasizing crisis, threat, or humanitarian need.

Migrant – A person who moves from one place to another, either voluntarily or forcibly, in-country or cross-border.

Migrant flow – The number of international migrants arriving in a country (immigrants) or the number of international migrants departing from a country (emigrants) over the course of a specific period.

Migrant stock – For statistical purposes, the total number of international migrants present in a given country at a particular point in time who have ever changed their country of usual residence.

Migration – The movement of persons away from their place of usual residence, either across an international border or within a State.

Migration Data – Data on different forms of population movement, whether short or long-term, forced or voluntary and cross-border or internal, as well as data concerning characteristics of movement and those on the move, and the reasons for and impacts of migration.

Migration Narrative – A story or discourse surrounding the movement of people, shaped by media, political rhetoric, academic research, and social discourse. It can influence public perception, policy decisions, and the treatment of migrants.

Migration Policy – Laws and regulations governing migration in a country.

Migrant Visibility/Invisibility – The selective representation of migrants in media, where certain groups receive more visibility than others.

Mixed Migration – Movement of people for different reasons, including both forced and voluntary migration.

Migration Route – The path taken by migrants when moving from their country of origin to a destination country.

Multiculturalism – A societal approach that recognizes, values, and promotes cultural diversity within a nation or community. It supports the coexistence of multiple cultural identities, traditions, and languages, often through policies that encourage inclusion, anti-discrimination measures, and intercultural dialogue. In migration studies, multiculturalism is debated in relation to integration, assimilation, and national identity, with varying degrees of acceptance across different countries.

N

Naturalization – The process of acquiring citizenship in a foreign country.

Non-governmental organization (NGO) is defined as a non-profit organization, group or institution that operates independently from a government and has humanitarian or development objectives. If an NGO is designated to implement a UNDP project, the NGO must have the legal status to operate in accordance with the laws governing NGOs in the programme country. (United Nation Development Programme. https://popp.undp.org/taxonomy/term/6216)

Non-Refoulement – A principle prohibiting the return of refugees to places where they face harm.

R

Refugee – A person who has been forced to flee their country due to persecution, war, or violence. In legal terms, it refers to asylum seekers with a legally recognized status.

Repatriation – The process of returning refugees or migrants to their country of origin, either voluntarily or involuntarily. This can be a voluntary process (voluntary repatriation) or forced (involuntary repatriation).

Resettlement – The transfer of refugees to a new country for permanent protection.

Regular Migration – Migration that occurs through legal channels.

S

Stateless Person – A person who is not recognized as a citizen by any country.

Semantic content of migrants’ labeling refers to the meanings, connotations, and ideological framing behind the terms used to describe migrants. These labels influence public perception, policy decisions, and migrants’ own identities, often reflecting political, legal, and emotional biases.

Semantic content of war naming refers to the meanings, connotations, and strategic intent behind the names assigned to wars, battles, and military operations. These names are not just labels; they shape public perception, historical narratives, and political messaging.

Smuggling of Migrants – Facilitating illegal entry into a country for financial gain.

Securitization of Migration – The process by which migration is framed as a security issue, often justifying restrictive policies, border controls, and surveillance measures. This perspective can lead to the militarization of borders and the criminalization of migrants.

Surveillance of Migrants – The use of technologies, databases, and state policies to monitor and track migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. This surveillance can include biometric data collection, electronic tracking, and increased policing at borders.

T

Temporary Protection – Short-term legal status granted in emergencies.

Trafficking in Persons – The exploitation of individuals through coercion, fraud, or force.

V

Voluntary Repatriation – The return of migrants or refugees to their home country by choice.

Volunteer – a person who does something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it (Cambridge dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/volunteer)

Voluntary work refers to non-profit activity including unpaid, self-organized or institutionally organized, socially oriented work; this means a personal, non-profit commitment that is connected with a regular, project- or event-related expenditure of time, which could in principle also be carried out by another person and could potentially also be paid for.

Visa – Official authorization permitting entry into a foreign country for a specific purpose.

Vulnerability in Migration – Factors that increase risks for migrants, such as lack of legal protection, exploitation, or unsafe travel conditions.

X

Xenophobia – Prejudice or hostility toward migrants, often fueled by nationalist rhetoric or economic concerns.