Migrations have intensified in contemporary society, due to the process of globalization, which deepens the interdependence of economies and strengthens transnational networks, which facilitate the labor insertion of qualified people. The popularization of ICT also reinforces the processes of cultural hybridization and shortens distances. However, the speeches of influential politicians and the mass media frame the presence of foreigners as a threat, while these speeches hide the positive effects of migrations, both to the host country and to the birth country. The purpose of this document is to review the relationship between international migration and human development, from two points of view: co-development, which involves migrants as promoters of development, and dependency theory, which affirms that migrations reinforce poverty in their territories of origin. In some host countries, there are policies to select migrants with higher education and financial resources, while is closed the entry of low-skilled migrants, attracted by higher wages, as well as the entry of people seeking asylum.