Migrants, Refugees, or Displaced Persons?

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Migrant: There is no legally accepted definition of the term “migrant” at the international level. According to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM), it refers to “any person who has resided away from his or her place of usual residence, whether within a country or across an international border, regardless of the person’s legal status; whether the movement is involuntary or voluntary; what the causes for the movement are; or, what the length of the stay is.” However, it is common to include certain categories of short-term migrants, such as seasonal agricultural workers, who migrate at planting or harvest time. 

Refugee: As defined by the 1951 Geneva Convention, the term applies to “any person who, owing to a well‐founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his or her nationality...and is  unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it”.

Displaced persons: Persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters. This definition covers both internal and cross-border displacement.

Asylum seeker: An individual who is seeking international protection. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the term is used to define “someone whose request for sanctuary has yet to be processed.”

Source: Glossary on Migration, International Organization for Migration (IOM)