Difference between migration, emigration and immigration
Immigration and emigration occur when a person or group moves from their country to another. The term immigration It is used to name the entry of people to a country of which they are not nationals, with the intention of staying and living in it. On your side, emigration means the movement of people from one country to live in another.
The migration it also involves movement through different places, including switching between regions. This movement can be both humans and other living beings.
| Migration | Immigration | Emigration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definition | Movement that a person, group or animal makes from one place to another. | Entry of a person in a foreign country, to establish a new residence. The individual who immigrates is called an immigrant. | Departure of the person from their country of origin to live in another. The individual who emigrates is called an emigrant. |
| Ambit | Country or region. | Country. | Country. |
| App | It can be applied to people or animals. | People. | People. |
| Weather | Permanent or temporary. | Permanent. | Permanent. |
| Source | From Latin I will migrate, which means "change residence, move." | From Latin immigrate, which means "to come from one place to settle in another". | From Latin I will emigrate, which means "to move from one place to another". |
Immigrate and emigrate are two visions of the same movement. For example, if you were born in Mexico and went to live in the United States, that means that you emigrated from Mexico and immigrated to the United States.
What is immigration?
Immigration is used when a person enters a foreign country to live, leaving their country of origin. Immigration implies a permanent movement and it applies only to people. For example: "My grandparents immigrated to the United States in the 1920s."
Although there are specific laws for immigration and emigration, immigration is strictly controlled by the host nations.
What is emigration?
Emigration occurs when a person or group leaves her country to settle in another. Emigrating involves a permanent movement and it only applies to people. For example: "My grandparents emigrated from Spain."
Emigration is enshrined in the fundamental law of principle 2 of article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Rights Humans: "Everyone has the right to leave the country in which he is, including his own, and the right to return to his country".
Immigrate or migrate?
Immigrate generally refers to the act of crossing national borders of different countries, to settle in the host country. In the case of migrate, this act includes both the movement between countries likebetween regions of the same country, not being necessary the trip to foreign lands.
For example: "Many people are migrating from the interior to the capital of their cities." In this case, people are not moving to a foreign land, just migrating from one region to another.
What's more, migrations can be permanent or temporary, for example:
- Many people who lived on the outskirts of the city migrated to the capital in search of work (permanent movement).
- Many workers migrate south during the agricultural season (temporary relocation).
When migrating is applied to animals, such as birds, it generally means a seasonal or temporary change in habitat. For example, when birds migrate south during winter.
See also:
- Causes and consequences of migration
- Nomads and sedentary.
- Types of migration
Bachelor of Philosophy (2009) from the National University of Costa Rica; Master's in History, International Relations and Cooperation (2013), in Translation and Language Services (2015) and in Multimedia (2017) from the University of Porto.