The immigration process

In most cases, migration is not random at all, and this was certainly the case in the postwar period with the appearance of international organizations such as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) and bilateral treaties that sought to regulate it. In some cases, the migration patterns followed the tracks of previous migrations. Migrants from southern Greek localities moved, in their majority to the USA following the “migrant memory” of their village from the first wave of the early 20th c. In other cases, proximity made the difference. Most migrants from Northern Greece went to Germany. In the case of Canada, it was mostly the work of bilateral agreements and international arrangement. Professional skills, family networks and adaptation to the labour needs of the host country then made the difference in terms of choosing in which Canadian city to settle.