Thinking of moving abroad? When people say they are going to move to another country, they might use the terms “immigrate” and “emigrate.” But what’s the difference between immigrate, emigrate, and migrate?
Meaning of Emigrate
Emigrate means to leave your own country, in order to settle in another location. Essentially, you move to a foreign country out of choice. For example, if you live in the United States and decide to leave for Spain, you could say that you are planning on leaving the United States and intend to emigrate to Spain.
Meaning of Immigrate
Immigrate means to come to live or settle permanently in a country that is not your own. For example, if you were born in the United States but moved to England at a young age, you could say you immigrated to England.
If you’re teaching ESL (English as a second language) in the United States, many of your students will likely have immigrated there. But they may have emigrated from Mexico!
Meaning of Migrate
Migrate means moving or relocating from one place to another, typically for better living conditions, seasonal changes, or other environmental factors.
You can migrate from one part of a country to another part of the country and you can migrate abroad. You’ll often hear the term used in relation to birds, with many migrating birds flying South in winter in search of warmer temperatures.
Emigrate vs Immigrate
So, what’s the difference between emigrate and immigrate?
People often mistakenly use the words “emigrate” and “immigrate” interchangeably, but there is a key difference between these terms.
In the simplest form, “emigrate” means to move out of a country to go and live in another country. While “immigrate” means to move into one country from another country. So, you can be both an emigrant and an immigrant.
However, it’s important to understand that there is a clear distinction between the two. After all, your students could be immigrants, especially if you’re an ESL teacher in particular.
Let’s take a look in a bit more detail.
Emigrating or Immigrating
To reiterate, “emigrate” is used when referring to someone who leaves their old country to move somewhere else. While “immigrate” is used when referring to someone who moves into a new country. They are NOT used if you are just traveling around.
In other words, “immigrate” is used when talking about the new country moved to. “Emigrate” is used when talking about the country moved from.
You can remember this simply by the first letter of each term. Immigrate starts with the letter ‘I’ and is used when you move “in” to a different country. Meanwhile, emigrate starts with the letter ‘E’, which you can associate with “exiting” or leaving your home country.
So, if you’re emigrating you’re leaving your home country. If you’re immigrating you’re moving into your destination country.
Immigrate & Emigrate Examples
“Tales of the Chupacabra are widespread throughout Mexico, so perhaps stories of the creature have traveled north along with the people who immigrate into Texas.”
“Many people now emigrate, when occasion offers, to America.”
Taken from: https://sentence.yourdictionary.com/
What is Mass Immigration?
If there is a significant and large-scale movement of people from one region or country to another, this is called mass immigration. This migration often involves a substantial number of individuals seeking better economic opportunities, political stability, or improved living conditions. Such people are called immigrants.
The word “Immigrant” describes someone who has moved to or entered the destination country with the intention of establishing permanent residence. An immigrant could be a legal immigrant, an illegal immigrant, or an asylum seeker. This usually depends on their situation and legal status when they leave their country of origin.
Why Do People Emigrate and Immigrate?
People often talk about immigration as if it’s a singular phenomenon. In reality, there are many different reasons for it. Some people move to find work or escape poverty, some move for political reasons, while others are looking for a better quality of life. Likewise, some people immigrate voluntarily, while others are forced to leave their homes.
Other people in a more fortunate position may just move to another country because they are seeking change or an adventure. It’s funny how the terms “immigrate” and “emigrate” can mean such different things to people depending upon the context in which they are used.
To Emigrate or Immigrate?
It is important that both individuals and teachers understand the difference between “immigrate” and “emigrate”. In today’s highly interconnected world, they form a common theme and relate to sensitive topics for many. However, from an academic point of view, the key thing to remember is that they both refer to a permanent move to a new place. Just from a different perspective.
James has been helping people teach English abroad for over twelve years. He’s traveled to over 30 countries, lived in 3, and taught English in Chile and online.
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