Migration in the Caribbean: a path to development?

Between 1989 and 2001, over 1.4 million Caribbean nationals migrated legally to the United States. In 2003, they sent over US$38 billion worth of remittances. In Guyana, over 60 percent of university graduates have emigrated. These figures beg the question: Is migration a path to development in the Caribbean? Migration, described as embedded in the Caribbean psyche, is a fact of life in the region. Every year, large numbers of Caribbean nationals emigrate to other countries for work, education or other reasons. International migration affects both the country of origin and the recipient country, and creates a class of transnational citizens, known as the diaspora, with close ties to their country of origin.