The main difference between home country and host country is that the home country refers to the country where a person was born while the host country refers to the country where a person resides.
Migration has urged former identities and concepts to be redefined. When a person moves to a different country from his motherland and obtains citizenship from that country, he will belong to both countries.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Home Country
– Definition, Examples, Characteristics
2. What is Host Country
– Definition, Examples, Characteristics
3. What is the Difference Between Home Country and Host Country
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Migration, Immigrants, Diaspora, Home Country, Host Country
What is Home Country
Home country refers to the country where a person was born and usually raised. Therefore, this can also be known as one’s motherland. Due to varied social and financial reasons, people leave their home country in search of greener pastures, or better living standards.
This occurrence is usually seen in poor or under-developed countries and even in developing countries. A lot of people whose home country is these poor or developing countries migrate to other countries, which are usually regarded as developed countries offering better living standards for its citizens. However, there are also occurrences when citizens of developed countries chose to live in another host country as well.
Mass-migration has negative impacts on the home country, especially when the percentage of brain-drain increases day by day. The qualified people who can render a good service for the development of the home country leaving the country will create a vacuum in the skilled workforce of the particular country.
Figure 1: Home Country vs Host Country
However, in cases where the home country becomes a threat to the life of the citizens its citizens have no choice but to flee the country and go to safer countries as either asylum seekers or refugees. War-torn countries and countries marked risky to health and well-being of the people, countries endangered with natural and other disasters are some examples of such situations. In any case, the home country of all these people will be the country they were born and usually raised.
What is Host Country
Host country is the country that hosts all these people who leave their home country for varied reasons. Therefore, one could also call the host country as someone’s second homeland. However, the culture and social structure of the host country will be alien to these immigrants, making the host country still distant to them in their hearts since their original attachments are for their home country.
Usually, the most common host countries for migrants are the well-developed countries that offer them better facilities and life-standards. Therefore, as the ultimate desire of these immigrants or asylum seekers is to find greener pastures, they seek to migrate to developed countries like the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
Figure 2: Host Countries for Refugees and Asylum Seekers
However, the increase in the influx of immigrants to the host countries also creates a certain negative effect on the local job markets. This is evident in countries such as Greece where the increasing influx of immigrants has created numerous issues in its economic and social stability.
Moreover, the term host country may also refer to a nation visited by individuals or organizations from other countries or states due to government invitation or meeting. From a business perspective, host country refers to a country where a foreign company (one that is based in another country) has business activities.
Difference Between Home Country and Host Country
Definition
Home country refers to the country where a person was born and raised whereas the host country refers to the country an immigrant is residing.
Examples
Home countries of many refugees, immigrants and the Diaspora communities in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, European countries, Canada, US (which are the host countries) are countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India.
Status
Usually, the home countries of these migrants are either in the poor or developing category of countries in the world while the host country usually belongs to the category of developed countries in the world.
Reasons
There may be numerous reasons for people to leave their home country to the host country. Usually, it is the lack of facilities and better life-standards in the home country while the availability of better facilities and better living standards in the host country that propel most migrants to leave the home country.
Conclusion
The difference between home country and host country is that the home country is the country where a person is originally from while the host country is the country that person lives in. To sum up, when a person leaves his or her home country and settles in another country, that country becomes their host country.
Reference:
“Immigration.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 June 2018, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Refugees and asylum seekers by host country” By Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS.) – Strategic Assessment 1997: Flashpoints and Force Structure, Chapter 17. Refugees, Migration and Population (Dead link). (available copy), P.211 (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
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