Relocation, also known as moving, or moving house, is the process of leaving one's

dwelling In law, a dwelling (also known as a residence or an abode) is a self-contained unit of accommodation used by one or more households as a home - such as a house, apartment, mobile home, houseboat, vehicle, or other "substantial" structure. The ...

and

settling Settling is the process by which particulates move towards the bottom of a liquid and form a sediment. Particles that experience a force, either due to gravity or due to centrifugal motion will tend to move in a uniform manner in the direction ...

in another. The new location can be in the same

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

or a much farther place in a different city or different country (

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...

). It usually includes packing all belongings, transferring to the new home, unpacking, and administrative or bureaucratic tasks, such as changing registration data. An

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

is an individual temporarily or permanently relocating to a country other than their native country. The individual relocating would be considered an

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...

in their new country.

Psychological effects

On the

Holmes and Rahe stress scale The Holmes and Rahe stress scale () is a list of 43 stressful life events that can contribute to illness. The test works via a point accumulation score which then gives an assessment of risk. The American Institute of Stress for instance, regards ...

for adults, "change of residence" is considered a stressful activity, assigned 20 points (with the death of a spouse being ranked the highest at 100), although other changes on the scale (e.g., "change in living conditions", "change in social activities") often occur as a result of relocating, making the overall stress level potentially higher. Various studies have found that moving house is often particularly stressful for children and is sometimes associated with long-term psychological problems. Pressure points for international assignees include challenges of a new job, inability to participate in activities available at home, loss of

peer support Peer support occurs when people provide knowledge, experience, emotional, social or practical help to each other. It commonly refers to an initiative consisting of trained supporters (although it can be provided by peers without training), and can ...

, language and other cultural difficulties, and worker's spouse being unable to find work.

Assistance

Relocation may be supported by a

relocation service Relocation services, employee relocation, military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) or workforce mobility include a range of internal business processes to transfer employees, their families, and/or entire departments of a business to a new loc ...

, which assists people in finding and moving into a new house, organizing a school for children, conducting local culture training, and supporting integration into the new location and culture. Some jurisdictions subsidize relocations. Some target

remote work Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, ware ...

ers to enhance the local workforce and tax base.

Governance

There may be a legal requirement for individuals to notify authorities of a change of address if they maintain a

driver's license A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a publi ...

vehicle registration Motor vehicle registration is the registration of a motor vehicle with a government authority, either compulsory or otherwise. The purpose of motor vehicle registration is to establish a link between a vehicle and an owner or user of the vehicle. Th ...

voter registration In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise eligible to vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted to vote. The r ...

, are on

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

, or are eligible for

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...

(as with the

Selective Service System The Selective Service System (SSS) is an independent agency of the United States government that maintains information on U.S. citizens and other U.S. residents potentially subject to military conscription (i.e., the draft) and carries out cont ...

). Some loans require the borrower to notify the lender of address changes. In the United States, moving companies must provide the customers with a booklet "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" created by the

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation that regulates the trucking industry in the United States. The primary mission of the FMCSA is to reduce crashes, injuries and ...

(FMCSA).

Immigration law Immigration law refers to the national statutes, regulations, and legal precedents governing immigration into and deportation from a country. Strictly speaking, it is distinct from other matters such as naturalization and citizenship, although ...

impacts the requirements and feasibility of moving to another country.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Relocation (Personal) Human migration Moving and relocation

Psychological effects

Assistance

Governance

See also

References