World Scientific Handbook of Global Migration:In 3 VolumesVolume 1: Immigration and the Labor Market: A Global View of Assimilation and its AftermathVolume 2: Global Migration: Alternative Views and Social ComparisonsVolume 3: Types of Migrants and Economies: A Global Perspective

As globalization and the flow of labor across the world accelerated during the latter part of the 20th century, the presence of foreign-born workers in a country's labor market became one of the most prominent and controversial features of modern economies. Countries that facilitated the arrival of foreign-born individuals often benefited from the increase in labor supply. An important channel for the benefits is through lower prices for consumer goods and services in the host country. This is not surprising because immigration is just another form of international trade, which often leads to cost savings and more diversity in the market. The immigrants themselves have also gained from international migration as it provides an opportunity to improve one's standard of living, pass remittances to family in the country of origin, and find new opportunities for general human flourishing in newly adopted surroundings.