Qualitative study of emigration flows from East Azerbaijan to Tehran (Iran)

Migration is one of the most important factors in regional development and considerable factor in social and demographic planning of any country. In Iran, this demographic – economic phenomenon has not a proper distribution among provinces. One of the imbalanced migration flows is emigration from East Azerbaijan to Tehran (both are Iran’s provinces). Its expansion and intensity has caused emigration clusters of East Azerbaijan be formed in most part of Tehran. Qualitative study of focused groups of the mentioned emigration flows illustrates that its pioneer emigrants have low ranks in social-economic status, compared with native inhabitants of both provinces. With promotion in their economic conditions, to help their family and relatives, they remittance to their rural origins. This act and villagers enthusiasm to visit migrants’ conditions in capital has caused social intercourse and primary relationship between destination and origin. With extension of this kind of communication and the pioneer emigrants’ encouragement and help network emigration from East Azerbaijan (mostly from rural areas) to Tehran has increased. This act caused emigration behavior as a principle in social-economic status development of rural families is considered. Acceptance and internalizing this kind of population behavior in some parts of East Azerbaijan is so great that we witness some parts of this area are uninhabited because of emigration.