Transnational Migrants

Transnational migrants are migrants who develop ties to more than one country. This definition can also apply to commercial or non-profit enterprises with ties to more than one country.

Transnational migrants belong to one or more societies and have not shed their cultural or national norms. The idea of the transitional migrant can be seen as early as the 1900s where people may live their lives in more than one location or may express their interests both politically, spiritually and socially, in more than one context as opposed to the ideas contained in a single nation-state. This can occur when an individual moves to a new country but maintains a strong relationship with their homeland. In this case their political, religious and social ties may stretch across the globe. Transitional migrants do not believe their ties or allegiances are antithetical to one another. Immigrants believe they can pursue the American dream while continuing to support their homeland both politically and economically.

Critics of transitional migration believe it is difficult to pursue the American and home-country dreams at the same time. Some social scientists argue this trend could eventually cause an internal "clash of civilizations" because certain immigrant groups fail to assimilate and adopt "American" values which have allowed generations of immigrants to subscribe to a core set of shared values to continue to survive and thrive.