What Makes People Leave Their Home? A Human Look at Migration

Why do people migrate? 

It’s the age-old question that researchers have been trying to answer for millennia. Because migration has existed for as long as humanity has been around. Although the motivations and means have evolved across the ages, the core remains the same. 

American sociologist Everett Lee theorized that the causes of migration could be divided in two categories: push and pull factors. According to his model, the push factors are what incite people to want to leave their home, while pull factors are what attract individuals to a specific place. 

This premise is one of the most popular models in the field. But it doesn’t show the full picture, oversimplifying the complexity of human stories and emotions. Migration is not the result of a single decision, it is usually prompted by a myriad of smaller hopes, pressures, and calculations. 

So, at Ria, we dug deeper, talking to over 1,100 migrants to get a more layered and personal look into people’s migratory journey. Their valuable insights and the data we collected from their responses have been compiled in our study on migration and remittances, The Currency of Caring. 

Our findings show that the reality behind those factors is more complicated than what it seems at first glance. Below, we take a more comprehensive look into this topic through migrants’ personal anecdotes on the decision process and the emotional impact of leaving home. 

The Four Forces that Drive People to Move 

Let’s begin by laying a foundation to establish the core factors that drive people to leave their home. 

We asked people what made them leave home and uncovered the most recurring themes that emerged from their varied answers: 

Economic & Professional 

This is the strongest migration driver overall. In fact, 64.1% of The Currency of Caring’s respondents cited “better job opportunities” or “improving economic situation” as one of the main migration drivers. 

An example of this is Ofelia, a Filipino migrant living in Portugal. She left her country after her husband tragically passed away and she began struggling to make ends meet while taking care of her three young children. 

“At the beginning it was fine,” she said. “My sister helped me, and, since the kids were small, so were the expenses. But as they got older, my salary wasn’t enough.” 

Like her, thousands of people travel in search of more financial stability, better jobs, and career growth every year. 

Security-Related 

For many participants in the Ria study, safety was a major concern before leaving their home. 36.9% of them said that “persecution or discrimination”, their country’s “political situation”, and wanting to “live in a safer country” were amongst the main reasons that made them migrate. 

Kenan experienced this insecurity firsthand and he opened up about his family’s journey to the Netherlands to escape the civil war that broke out in former Yugoslavia back in 1992.  

“We had to flee through a tunnel that was built underground,” he recalls.

Ultimately, Kenans says that his parents’ decision to leave is what provided a safe environment for him and his sister to grow up in.  

In fact, parents wishing to give their children a better future is one of the most common cases in security-related migration. 

Family & Relationships 

To reunite with a loved one, people are willing to cross oceans. The Currency of Caring found that 26.7% of participants cited “family reunification” or “friends in destination country” as a decisive factor in their migration journey. 

As it was for Yajaira. When she was just 6 years old, her mother left in search of better opportunities for her family. And after her situation became stable enough, they were able to reunite. 

“I’m thankful to my mom for having brought me to this country with so many opportunities. I wouldn’t change anything,” confessed Yajaira. 

Migrating to reunite with a relative or a partner is always a joyous occasion, but it can be bittersweet as it also involves starting over somewhere new, losing a wider support network, and rebuilding life from the ground up. 

Educational 

16.7% of the study’s respondents stated that “studies or education” were a strong motivation for migrating. In this case, moving abroad is less of a forced decision and more of a personal development project. 

That’s how Imerson saw it. When he was 26, this Ria agent traded the sunny Ivory Coast for rainy England to pursue higher education. 

“My biggest accomplishment has been finishing my studies because it’s a part of you. It can’t be taken away from you. With it, you can go anywhere,” he proudly stated. 

Whether the move is considered permanent or temporary, studying abroad represents an investment in the future of the migrant, ensuring that they will be able to have a more stable life.  

Although each category might seem different, they are often connected to one another. Indeed, the participants we interviewed all selected several answers to explain why they left home. 

That is why in The Currency of Caring, we pair quantitative data with personal insights to better understand migrants. In the third chapter, we take a look at how and why the decision to migrate varies by region, context in the country of origin, and destination. 

Read the full study to find out. 

Migration Starts Long Before the Journey 

Through the stories shared by the study’s respondents, it becomes clear that migration is not an impulse decision. It develops slowly over time.  

“In Venezuela, my wife and I had stable jobs… we lived in an area that wasn’t very safe, and our house was broken into and robbed. That’s when the fear really started. We were able to move to a slightly better area, but in less than a month, at gunpoint, our car was stolen. My daughters were four and two years old,” shared this participant. 

The idea of moving is perhaps not considered at first, but the deterioration of the situation in the migrant’s home country planted a seed in their mind that kept growing with each incident. A lot of people go through a similar process, as 12.4% of the study’s interviewees rated their personal situation back home as “bad” or “very bad”. 

However, many leave not because life is unbearable, but because they feel that their opportunities are limited and migration allows them to overcome a professional or educational ceiling. In fact, 60.10% reported that they had a “good” or “very good” personal situation in their country of origin.  

“My decision to come wasn’t impulsive—I had spent years preparing to get into a direct PhD program after my undergraduate degree, something that simply wasn’t possible in India. When I was accepted, it felt like a door I had been pushing for so long had finally opened,” explained this respondent. 

Although each migration journey is unique, they are all driven by one common goal: opening ways for a better everyday life. And as aspiration and hardship mingle in the thought process, it becomes clear that migration is both a practical and emotional decision. 

The Emotional Side of Leaving Home 

Taking a leap of faith is always difficult, and deciding to migrate is no different. While it means getting a chance at a brighter future, it also entails leaving behind loved ones, favorite places, and cherished memories. 

Naturally, it elicits a strong emotional response. In The Currency of Caring, we asked participants to share how they felt throughout their journey.  

Here is what they had to say: 

 
Although migration is often accompanied by hope and curiosity, it also brings up feelings of uncertainty and fear. The excitement for what the future may bring blends in with the nostalgia for what’s been lost and anxiety for what’s to come. 

Nevertheless, it’s important to highlight that not every person experiences migration the same way. And the reason that pushes people to leave their home also influences how they feel about it. Different motivations create different emotional experiences, from ambition-driven moves to family-related sacrifices. 

Our study dives into all of those differences in depth, exploring the most common emotions within educational, security, family, and economic migration each. Download the study to learn more. 

Every Migration Story Begins with a Choice  

So, why do people immigrate? 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward answer.  

Migration is rarely driven by a single reason and is usually shaped by a combination of opportunity, family, safety, education, and personal growth. Behind every move is a complex balance between what a person hopes to gain and what they must leave behind. 

The emotions tied to migration, from hope to homesickness, reveal the deeply human side of crossing borders. Understanding them helps us better comprehend the sacrifices, resilience, and care that connect families across the world. 

But moving abroad doesn’t mean losing your loved ones. From phone calls to remittances, migrants find ways to stay connected to their roots, no matter the distance. 

With Ria, you can send money quickly and securely to support the people who matter most, wherever life takes you. Find a Ria location, visit our website or download our app to get started. 

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