What Kind of Migrant Are You?

What kind of migrant are you?

Many of us don’t think of ourselves as migrants at all. If you’ve moved to another country or are planning to, you might call yourself an expat, globetrotter, snowbird, or something similar.

But the reality is that anyone who moves from one part of the world to another is a migrant. That’s the term used by statistical agencies like the United Nations… and by those in the business of helping others to find a new home abroad.

But that single term hardly does justice to the variety of migrants in today’s world. There are three broad types:

1. HNWIs: “High-net-worth individuals” are the bread and butter of the for-profit migration industry. Residency and citizenship by investment programs, special tax deals, and other benefits are designed with them in mind. According to Henley & Partners, one of the agencies that courts them, 128,000 millionaires are expected to switch countries in 2024, a 16% increase since 2019. HNWIs tend to leave countries where they think their wealth is threatened by instability or taxation, and to move to places where they believe they’ll be treated better.
2. The migrant workforce: At the other end of the spectrum are millions of low-skill, low-wage workers who are an indispensable part of the economic fabric of many nations, with or without legal status. They’re attracted by the prospect of a steady job, not low taxes. In the US, for example, Mexican migrant laborers are the backbone of construction and agriculture. Some countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, import migrant laborers for all their menial labor. For these migrants, getting from Point A to Point B can be a harrowing and dangerous experience.
3. The mobile middle class: In between the tiny migrant elite and the mass of economic migrants are middle class people looking to take advantage of better living conditions, lower costs, and superior lifestyles in other countries. It’s difficult to put a number on this group, but as a rough guess, I’d say it amounts to several million people every year. Many of them move regularly between adjacent countries, while others set up a new life on the other side of the planet.

My focus at Global Citizen, of course, are those of us in the third group. (I do often deal with people in the HNWI category, too.) There’s a reason for that: The mobile middle class isn’t as well catered for by the global migration industry.

For example, many of the world’s most recognizable immigration consultancies aren’t interested in anyone who won’t generate tens of thousands of dollars in fees. It can be difficult to see yourself reflected back from their websites and publications.

Paradoxically, however, most of these agencies will do exactly what I do when I consult with people in Global Citizen. They’ll listen to your circumstances, needs, and goals, help you chart a way forward, then refer you to another set of service providers in whatever country you’re looking at. But they’ll charge you a lot of money to do it, unlike Global Citizen.

I launched Global Citizen to offer personalized consultations and create concrete pathways for ordinary people who want to diversify abroad, whether in terms of residence, wealth, or finances. In that respect, one size does not fit everyone.

That’s why I always take time to understand where you are coming from and to offer solutions that make sense for your circumstances, no matter your economic standing and net worth.

That’s something you won’t get anywhere else.