I virkeligheden er der mange faktorer, når man skal forklare migrationsbevægelser: forskellige demografiske situationer i Nord og Syd, en permanent uddybning af ulighederne i indkomst og rigdom mellem de rigeste og de fattigste lande, den manglende stabilitet i visse politiske situationer, det ofte falske billede, som indvandrere forestiller sig om deres fremtid i Europa.
Migratory movements are actually due to numerous factors: demographic differences between the North and the South, the continual increase in inequalities of income and wealth between the richest and poorest countries, the instability of certain political situations and the often false image that immigrants have of what a future in Europe might hold for them.