Migration Records

 ScopeThis guide applies to records documenting the movement of people from one country, place, or locality to another with the intent of settlement, which do not fit into any of the more specific migration-related record types defined in the controlled vocabulary (e.g., Citizenship Records, Colonization Records, Deportation Records, Emigration and Immigration Records, Passenger Lists, Visas). If a record clearly matches one of these or other defined child record types, use the corresponding record type instead. The broad designation ‘Migration Records’ should be used only when the record cannot be classified under a more specific child type.

What Are Migration Records and How Do You Recognize Them?

Migration records document the movement of individuals or groups across borders or regions for the purpose of settlement. They often include general migration correspondence, permits, transport documentation, or undifferentiated documents related to migration processes, settlement arrangements, or administrative migration control.

Elements Sometimes Found in Migration Records

• Name of migrant(s) or group
• Date or date range of movement
• Origin and destination localities
• Transport details (ship, train, etc.)
• Issuing authority or responsible office
• Identifiers (passport numbers, permit codes)
• Remarks or notes
  

Natural Group

Each separate volume (ledger, folder, bound volume, file packet, etc.) should be captured as a separate digital folder.

Descriptive Metadata

Date: Enter the date or range when the records were created.

Locality: Enter the city, town, or region associated with the migration event.

Creator: Enter the name of the authority, office, or organization that created the records.

Volume: Enter the volume designation used by the archive or custodian.

Title: In the language of the records, enter the title designated by the archive. Otherwise, enter the title as it appears on the cover, spine, or title page of the natural group.

Custodian Reference ID: If the archive has applied a reference ID to each volume, enter the ID in the format relevant to the archive. Enter a single hyphen (-) to indicate if no such ID exists.

Keywords (Selected Languages)

Important Note

If the record clearly belongs to a defined child type, do not use ‘Migration Records’ as the record type. This category is for records that cannot be classified under any more specific type.