What Is the Difference Between Immigration & Emigration?
The words immigration and emigration frequently get misused in the English language. Although similar in meaning, the words are not the same. Perhaps the easiest way to differentiate between the two words is that immigration refers to entering a country, while emigration refers to leaving a country. Depending on point of view, one party might refer to an individual as an immigrant, while another party refers to that same person as an emigrant.
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Immigration: Definition
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According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term immigration is a noun used to describe the process by which a person moves into a country for the purpose of establishing residency. In such a case, the individual is not a native of the country which he immigrates to.
Emigration: Definition
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According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term emigration refers to the process by which a person leaves his place or country of residency, to relocate elsewhere. In this case, the individual moving is referred to as an emigrant.
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Prefixes and Root
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In both terms, the root of the word is "migrate," which means to move from one location to another. However, the key in distinguishing the two terms is to understand the prefixes. The prefix "im," as in immigrate, originates from Latin. In essence, "im" serves the same meaning as "in," which breaks down the etymology of the word "immigrate" to mean "move into."
On the other hand, emigrate begins with the prefix "em." Like "im," "em" also derives from Latin origin, meaning to move away or depart from a place. Thus, the word "emigrate" means "move away."
Same Person, Different Term
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In describing an immigrant or emigrant, point of view matters. For example, assume that Mr. Smith moves from London, England to Mexico City, Mexico. Born and raised in London, Mr. Smith is a native of the United Kingdom. To Mr. Smith's neighbors in London, he is emigrating. However, Mr. Smith's new neighbors in Mexico City see Mr. Smith as immigrating to their city. From a physical standpoint, Mr. Smith is doing the same action in both scenarios--moving from London to Mexico City. However, one neighbor views him as leaving the country, while the other views him as entering the country. Thus, each person uses a different term to describe his action.
Less Frequent Usage
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In most cases, people use the words immigration and emigration to describe movement in and out of countries, primarily when describing settling a residence. However, the terms are not exclusive to country borders. Both words refer to entering or leaving specific regions as well. For example, a person living in New York City might emigrate north to live in upstate New York. Another example might refer to animals. For example, a flock of geese might immigrate into the city after their natural habitat was destroyed for new housing communities. In these instances, the definition or meanings of the words remain the same, but they do not specifically refer to crossing country borders.
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References
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