Difference Between Immigration and Migration
Immigration vs Migration
The terms immigration and migration are sometimes confused by native English speakers and language learners alike: as are the words immigration and emigration. All of these are related to the movement of peoples between countries, but they are all subtly different.
Migration is a noun that is used to describe the movement of people, or even animals, between countries. It is the umbrella term under which both immigration and emigration fall. Migration is used when you are talking about waves of movement of people between countries possibly both directions: coming into a country and leaving another country. For example: “Following World War II there was mass migration around the world.”
The difference between immigration and emigration is an easy one and once you have grasped it, it is not difficult to remember. To immigrate means that someone has moved to a new country. For example: “Thomas immigrated to Australia from his native Ireland when he was ten years old.” To emigrate is to refer to the country from which they have moved. For example: “Thomas emigrated from Ireland to Australia when he was ten years old.”
An easy way to remember the difference between immigration and emigration is to think that immigration refers to someone coming into a country and the word immigration begins with “I”.
The term immigration tends to be more commonly used than migration and emigration. This is because it tends to be a politically hot topic argued about in politics and in the street a great deal and it gets a lot of press attention.
When looking at migration as a blanket term you will encounter much discussion of legal and illegal immigration. Many countries have a problem with people entering the country illegally to search for work or as refugees without having gone through the formal governmental process. Many first world countries spend a lot of time and money protecting their borders from illegal immigration and discussing their immigration policies.
Related words to immigration and migration include: the verbs, immigrate, migrate and emigrate and the nouns that refer to the people doing the moving, immigrant, migrant and emigrant.
Summary:
1.Migration is the overall term for the movement of people between different countries
2.Immigration refers to people coming into a country
3.Emigration refers to people leaving a country for a different country
4.Immigration is a politically sensitive topic that is often discussed in the media.
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Hello;
First off, it infuriates me, that even ask.com has the definition wrong about the differerence between immigration and migration. I am Puerto Rican was born, and was raised there until I was 10 years old; I then moved (migrated), to Washington D.C. I don’t feel that this is a different country due to the fact that wheather we are born in Puerto Rico or here in the U.S.A, we are U.S. American citizens. Just like some birds “migrate” to a different place or area for the winter months, not another country, just a different place; therefore, they migrate.
It’s like when people ask me, “is Puerto Rico in Central or South America?”. Or, this question kills me, “…so do you speak Puerto Rican?”. I feel like screaming no you ignorant idiot, I speak Spanish, and oh yeah just in case, Puerto Rico is in the West Indies, in the Carribean, and it is the Greater Antilles, even though is the smallest. :-0.
Further,and as far as the notation in the bottom that states that this information is “AS IS”, “WITH ALL FAULTS”, it’s an amazing cop out. Just to think that this ignorant idiotic person gets paid for writting. OMG LOL
In response to the previous comment, the word Migration does not only refer to a movement within one country or locality, as you have implied. The word migration, according to every dictionary available, means to move from one country or locality to another. So the article would have been correct in stating that “Thomas migrated to Australia from Ireland”. In your particular example, since you travelled within a country, it would be correct for you to say that you “migrated” to Washington DC from Puerto Rico, since you did not move from a foreign country (as the word immigrated would suggest). But, it seems that from your comment, you imply that migration is only done within one region or country, and that is incorrect. Had you moved from the Dominican Republic to Washington DC, you could also have said that you “migrated” to Washington DC.
In regards to your comment about Puerto Rico’s relationship to the US, I would completely agree that PR is part of the US and therefore not part of Latin America. People sometimes fail to make the distinction based on the mere fact that some Puerto Ricans speak Spanish and that the island is in close proximity to Latin American countries.