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Emigrate vs. Immigrate: Leaving vs. Arriving

Published on January 15, 2024

The Distinction

  • Emigrate = to leave your home country (exit)
  • Immigrate = to enter and settle in a new country (enter)

Same person, same journey—different perspectives.

Emigrate: Going Out

Use “emigrate” when the focus is on leaving:

  • “She emigrated from Italy in 1990.” ✓
  • “Many families emigrated during the famine.” ✓
  • “He plans to emigrate from his homeland.” ✓

Notice the preposition: emigrate FROM (leaving from somewhere).

Immigrate: Coming In

Use “immigrate” when the focus is on arriving:

  • “She immigrated to the United States in 1990.” ✓
  • “They immigrated to Canada for better opportunities.” ✓
  • “My grandparents immigrated to this country.” ✓

Notice the preposition: immigrate TO (entering into somewhere).

The Same Story, Different Words

Consider someone moving from Mexico to Canada:

  • “Maria emigrated from Mexico.” (focus on leaving)
  • “Maria immigrated to Canada.” (focus on arriving)

Both sentences describe the same person’s journey.

The Memory Trick

  • Emigrate = Exit (leaving)
  • Immigrate = Into (entering)

Or think of the prefixes:

  • E- (like “exit”) = out
  • Im- (like “in”) = in

The Preposition Rule

This is the most reliable way to choose:

WordPrepositionExample
EmigrateFROMEmigrated from Poland
ImmigrateTOImmigrated to Australia

If you’re saying “from,” you want emigrate. If you’re saying “to,” you want immigrate.

Migrate: The Neutral Option

Not sure which perspective to take? Use “migrate”:

  • “They migrated from Ireland to Boston.” ✓

“Migrate” works for movement in general, without emphasizing leaving or arriving.

Common Mistakes

Wrong: “She immigrated from Japan.” Right: “She emigrated from Japan.” OR “She immigrated to America.”

Wrong: “He emigrated to France.” Right: “He immigrated to France.” OR “He emigrated from England.”

The Noun Forms

  • Emigrant = someone leaving their country
  • Immigrant = someone entering a new country

Again, same person—the word choice depends on perspective.

Remember

  • Emigrate FROM = exit from (leaving)
  • Immigrate TO = enter into (arriving)

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