Major Drivers for Migration from Hoshiarpur, Punjab to British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

The word Migration originates from the Latin verb migrare which signifies “to shift from one place to another”. As asserted by Monika Boyd (1989), “Migration is not a haphazard movement of poor people.”  Migration stands as one of the fundamental elements influencing population dynamics within any given area. In the field of social sciences, Human Migration assumes paramount significance, representing not merely the physical relocation of individuals but also a significant conduit for the dissemination of ideas and innovations. The international migrations are important for the bi-directional flow of resources between sender and receiver countries. The Globalization has increased the cross-border flow which has resulted in a significant social transformation worldwide. From 1950 to 2017, the rate of migration has increased in proportion to increase in world population. Approximately, the number of migrants has been hovering between  2.7 and 3.3 percent of the world population. (Haas et al., 2019).  India has maximum share in the total migrants across globe. According to UNDESA, 2019; In total of 1,75,10,931 international migrants are from India in 2019. In India, Punjab has been a major source of migrants to various countries worldwide. A very recent study by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana argues Canada to be the most preferred place of destination for Punjabi emigrants (Sethi, 2024).