Migration and remittances in South Africa

Abstract

Migration, at the broadest level, involves the movement of individuals over space and the change of an individual's place of residence. This general definition encompasses many different kinds of migration. Migration may be involuntary, where individuals or households are forced to move (for example, in response to forced removals or evictions) or it may voluntary, here people "choose" to move. Migration may be internal, where people move within the country, or it may be international with people changing their country of residence. Migration may also be permanent because it implies a permanent change of residency, or it may be temporary in that migrants retain membership in their household (or country) of origin, to which they expect to return at some point in the future.