Here’s a summary of the meaning of these words, and tricks to remember the difference.
“Immigrate” is a verb and refers to permanently moving to a new country.
Example: My grandparents immigrated to Canada during the second world war.
“Emigrate” is a verb and refers to permanently leaving one’s country to a new country.
Example: My grandparents emigrated from Ukraine during the second world war.
“Migrate” is a verb and focuses on the actual process of moving from one place to another. Migrate can also refer to the movement of animals from one place to another, and the intention does not have to be permanent.
Example:
Just before winter arrives, birds migrate from Canada to warmer climates further south. They migrate back to Canada as the weather warms up.
I now present you with ways to remember the differences:
“Immigrate” is a verb and refers to permanently moving to a new country.
Example: My grandparents immigrated to Canada during the second world war.
“Emigrate” is a verb and refers to permanently leaving one’s country to a new country.
Example: My grandparents emigrated from Ukraine during the second world war.
“Migrate” is a verb and focuses on the actual process of moving from one place to another. Migrate can also refer to the movement of animals from one place to another, and the intention does not have to be permanent.
Example:
Just before winter arrives, birds migrate from Canada to warmer climates further south. They migrate back to Canada as the weather warms up.
I now present you with ways to remember the differences:
- Immigrate starts with an “I”. Think of IN, and it becomes easy to remember that immigrate means moving INTO a new country.
- Emigrate starts with an “E”. Think of EXIT, and it becomes easy to remember that emigrate means EXITING a country to move to another.
- Migrate starts with an “M”. Think of MOVE, and it becomes easy to remember that migrate means MOVING from one place to another.
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