Increase in immigration from Iran; unprecedented turn to translation agencies

The demand for immigration from Iran has increased significantly over the past two years. Translation agencies report that it has multiplied. Official statistics from the Islamic Republic also indicate that Iranian immigration has increased 2.2 times over the past thirty years.

The increase in the number of requests to leave Iran among the people of this country is not a phenomenon that surprises anyone. It is a trend that has continued continuously for years. But now there is talk of a significant increase in the demand to leave Iran.

In this regard, the "Khabar Online" website has published a report that, in addition to official statistics and information from Islamic Republic officials about immigration, also includes assessments and statements from translation agencies.

Given that immigration applicants turn to translation agencies to translate their documents, information from the owners of these offices can be useful in understanding the immigration process.

Human capital flight

The aforementioned site begins its report with the following statement: "Immigration from Iran has been on an upward trend over the past two years, generally due to the country's economic and social problems and the attractiveness of the destination countries."

Overall, the report does not specifically mention economic and social problems. One or two translation agency owners and students that the Khabar Online reporter spoke to also mentioned political problems. But no one opens up about these problems or specifically names them.

One of these people is a student named “Saeed.” He has given up studying at Iranian universities and wants to go to Italy to study.

Saeed says: "I feel like the living conditions here are not there for me. I think there are many political and social problems that cause people like me with different ideas to want to emigrate."

This student even emphasized that even if he had adequate financial resources and did not suffer from economic problems, he would not have given up on his decision to immigrate.

A person named Hosseini, who is in charge of the Shakiba Translation Agency, recognizes a common factor in Iranians migrating abroad.

Hosseini says: "The common denominator among all those who want to emigrate is despair. My 15 years of experience shows that they are disappointed with the situation in the country."

The Khabar Online reporter continues his report by writing that migration generally occurs due to "push factors" in the country of origin and "attractive conditions" in the destination countries.

He considers most immigrants to be intellectual and educated, and refers to their departure as an outflow of human capital, considering its effects destructive for Iran.

Immigration statistics

Bahram Salavati is the head of the “Iranian Migration Observatory.” He told the “KhabarOnline” reporter:

"In the past two or three years, given the economic conditions that have arisen, especially the issue of sanctions, the desire to emigrate has increased, which is also strengthened by pull and attraction factors outside the country. In fact, the combination of these two factors is causing the immigration trend to increase."

A person named "Nazari", the director of Mandegar Translation Agency, said that in the past year or two, the number of people visiting his institution for immigration has increased, and as the end of this year approaches, the demand for immigration has increased even more.

A person named "Afshar", a translator at the Avid Translation Agency, said about the state of immigration demand among Iranians:

"The number of requests for document translation has increased over the past year or two, and is much higher than it was 10 to 15 years ago."

It should be noted that the increase in the number of requests for immigration, especially during the coronavirus pandemic and the limited services of embassies, indicates the increase in economic, social problems, and despair that, in the words of the reporter for the aforementioned site, "has gripped the country."

Officials in the Islamic Republic have not published accurate statistics on the number of “successful migrations” in recent years. Therefore, the “Khabar Online” reporter turned to international sources, including the World Bank, to complete his report, and based on them, he wrote that the number of Iranian migrants has increased 2.2 times over the past thirty years.

This is while translation agency owners are talking about the doubling of immigration demand over the past two years.

According to a survey by Q Analytics published in December last year, 33 percent of respondents said they would like to emigrate from Iran, and 80 percent of them cited achieving a better economic situation or escaping a bad economic situation as the motivation for wanting to do so.

Source: DW