Migrate, emigrate or immigrate?

migrate (of birds, animals, and people) = move from one place to another (to live there).

  • How do birds know when to migrate and how do their way back home?
  • A lot of new software engineers migrated to America where they could earn more.

emigrate (ONLY for people) = leave your own country and make your home in another one.

  • Tomy Methipara decided to emigrate to the US.
  • Many people emigrate to European countries in search of better prospects.

immigrate (seldom used) = enter a foreign country and make your home there

  • He is planning to immigrate to the US next year. (rarely used)
  • He is planning to emigrate to the US next year. (commonly used)
  • He emigrated from India to the US (here the focus is on India)
  • He immigrated to the US from India (here the focus is on the US)

However, the words immigrant and immigration are commonly used.

  • Due to the scarcity of jobs, the immigration to Gulf countries has decreased.
  • The number of new immigrants to Gulf countries has suddenly decreased.

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