Difference Between Immigration and Emigration

The main difference between immigration and emigration is that immigration refers to the act of entering another country whereas emigration means the act of leaving the country, usually the home country.

Technology and the development of transport have created new opportunities for people to break the boundaries between countries by travelling to other countries to experience the difference and all the beautiful novelties it can offer. Immigration and emigration are related ‘migration’ or cross-country travelling, and since they both mean the act of travelling from one country to another, people confuse these two terms as synonyms. However, there is a distinct difference between immigration and emigration.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Immigration 
     – Definition, Act
2. What is Emigration
     – Definition, Act
3. What is the Difference Between Immigration and Emigration
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Aviation, Emigration, Emigrate, Immigration, Immigrate, Travel

What is Immigration

Immigration is the noun form of ‘to immigrate’, which means to enter a different country from another country. Therefore, the noun immigration means the movement of people to a country or the act of entering a country.

Usually, immigration emphasizes “action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country.” Therefore, there is a distinction between migrants and emigrants, such as immigrants enter another country with the desire of permanently settling down in that foreign country while migrants usually enter a foreign country for various purposes and not necessarily for permanent residency.

Similarly, those who enter or move to another country for permanent settlement are known as ‘immigrants’. The main reason for their immigration is to find better living standards than the home country or other varied reasons such as better career opportunities, education, healthcare, etc.

In brief immigration means to move into another country. For example:

She immigrated to China

Immigration of her best friend to America made her sad for a long time.

What is Emigration

Emigration, similar to immigration, is the noun form of ‘to emigrate’. Emigrate means to leave a country, either one’s home country or the country they are currently in. Thus, emigration means the “act of leaving one’s own country often to settle permanently in another; moving abroad…”

Unlike immigration, which emphasizes entering a different country, emigration means leaving the country for a foreign country. Therefore, the distinction is in this act of entering and leaving.

Thus, emigration concerns leaving home or the past country or region for another country or region. There may be several reasons to leave the home country. Lack of opportunities and dissatisfaction with living standards are some of these reasons. Therefore, they leave to another country with the prospect of fulfilling these needs.

In brief, emigration means to move out of a country to another.  For example:

My grandparents emigrated from China a long time back

The emigrants from India are demanding equal rights.

Similarity Between Immigration and Emigration

• Both immigration and emigration stem from migration, which means to move or travel from one country to another.
• Getting permanent settlement in the foreign country is the main need for both immigration and emigration.
• These acts are controlled by the laws pertaining to border control in those specific countries as regulated and monitored by the Department of Immigration and Emigration in each country.

Difference Between Immigration and Emigration

Definition

Immigration means the act of entering a foreign country, often for permanent residency whereas emigration means the act of leaving one’s own country often to settle permanently in another country.

Enter or Leave

Thus, immigration is entering a foreign country while emigration is leaving the home country. This is the basic difference between immigration and emigration. 

Act

While immigration refers to the movement into a different country, emigration refers to the movement out of the present country.

Conclusion

Immigration and emigration are two terms that can be put under the act of migration. Since they appear similar in nature most often these two are used interchangeably, which is incorrect usage. Therefore the main difference between immigration and emigration is that immigration refers to the act of entering another country whereas emigration means the act of leaving the country, usually the home country. Nevertheless, both happen with the need of permanently settling in the foreign country.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1448311” (CC0) via Pxhere
2. “Immigrants Landing at Ellis Island” (Public Domain) via PICRYL