The theme of this research monograph is a voluntary migration to Slovakia.
Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another
with the intention of settling permanently or temporarily in a new
location. Migrating are individuals, families, groups and the entire communities.
Between 2015 and 2019, the attention of the European mass
media has focused on issues of forced migration from Africa and Asia to
Europe. Emphasis was placed on the serious situation of refugees in their
home countries and during their journey to Europe. In 2018, Slovakia was
shocked by the murder of Henry Acorda, an immigrant from the Philippines,
caused by Slovak man. The theme of migration, therefore, resonates
in professional forums and among the population. It was a campaign content
for the 2019 presidential and European elections in Slovakia.
Emigration from Slovakia to the Czech Republic, the countries of
Western Europe and North America and its reasons are scientifically examined
relatively well. Certain white spots in research are perceived in the
study of immigration to Slovakia. Statistics about asylum applicants and
granted asylums and supplementary protections show us that Slovakia is
rarely the target country of forced migrants. However, the statistics of the
Police Presidium after the accession of Slovakia to the European Union
(EU) point to a significant increase in the number of voluntary immigrants
(incomers)-foreigners, citizens of the Union and third-country nationals in
Slovakia. In our research, we are interested in the experiences, opinions and
motives of people who come to Slovakia voluntarily-voluntary migrants.
Therefore, this is a descriptive research problem. We do not have a study in
Slovakia that would systematically explore this phenomenon in recent
years. The aim of the publication is to characterize the current state of the
examined issue – voluntary migration to Slovakia. The aim of our research
is to understand the views and experiences of migrants-voluntary migrants
in regards with their lives in Slovakia (in the field of human relations, in
employment or during studies and in the economic sphere) and to identify
the reasons for immigration to Slovakia. That means our monograph fo6
cuses on the specific area of migration. Within the framework of immigration
to Slovakia, we focus on voluntary migration; research has expanded
our knowledge of social reality.
Migration is a phenomenon that has been accompanying humanity
since the beginning of history, but with rapid technological advances in
transport at the beginning of the twentieth century and telecommunication
at the end of the twentieth century over the present decades, people
around the world are interconnected. A huge number of migrants travel
across continents every day, and huge amounts of information and ideas are
exchanged in culture every second. Cosmopolitan thinkers dreamed of the
integration of the global community politically, economically and culturally;
these tendencies are currently very clear (Dai, Lu, 2017). Although Slovakia
is not an attractive destination for migrants, the situation is gradually
changing.
Excerpt from the Preface
