What’s the Difference Between a Migrant, an Immigrant, and an Emigrant?

When discussing the movement of people from one place to another, it can get a little confusing to know the correct terms to use. There are many different words used to talk about people on the move, such as ‘migrant’, ‘immigrant’, and ‘emigrant’. The distinctions between these words may seem insignificant, but they actually have real, important meanings. In this article, we’ll explain the difference between a migrant, an immigrant, and an emigrant.

What Is a Migrant?

There is no one internationally accepted legal definition of a migrant. They are generally described as people who have moved from one place to another, often to find work or better living conditions. 

In addition to finding work, migrants leave their homes for a number of other reasons, like education opportunities, reuniting with family, famine, climate change, and more. They usually migrate in the hopes of creating a better life for themselves and their families. Migrants differ from refugees, who have fled to another country because of direct threats of persecution or death.

Depending on the situation, migrants can either move within their own country—known as internal migration—or migrate to another country—known as international migration.  Some migrate to another country with the intent of returning to their home country one day, while others may wish to stay permanently in the new country. There are currently over 281 million international migrants in the world—3.6% of the world’s population.

What Is an Immigrant?

Perhaps the main difference between migrants and immigrants is that immigrants move—usually permanently—from one country to another. As mentioned above, migrants are individuals who move from their homes but can either stay within the borders of their home countries or migrate internationally. 

Immigrants also go through a set immigration process to move to a new country permanently, while migrants don’t necessarily relocate through legal pathways. For many migrants, this leads to an undocumented status and prevents them from accessing services and securities available to others. 

What Is an Emigrant?

An emigrant is not much different from an immigrant. The two words sound similar and mean similar things, with the key difference coming from whether you are talking about moving to a country or moving from a country.

For example, someone from Brazil moving to the United States is emigrating from Brazil and immigrating to the United States. Generally, people in the United States would view the individual as an immigrant to their country and people in Brazil would view the individual as an emigrant from their country.

With immigrants and emigrants going through a formal process of leaving one country to move to another, they have certain rights and protections. However, that is not necessarily the case for migrants—even when they cross international borders.

This failure to include them in legal protections leaves migrants vulnerable and without specific protection under international law. This often results in migrants becoming the victims of discrimination, exploitation, forced labor, and even sexual abuse. Migrant children are at risk of even more dangers.

The International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) advocates for the rights of all uprooted people, including migrants, internally displaced persons, and refugees. Our efforts include protecting internally displaced children in Burkina Faso, providing assistance to Afghan refugees with our partner agencies, taking part in activism against gender-based violence towards Syrian refugees in Jordan, and more.

We rely on donations to fund our critical work and continue changing lives. Find out how you can make a difference and help migrants, internally displaced persons, and refugees in need today!

About the International Catholic Migration Commission

The International Catholic Migration Commission is a nonprofit organization that protects, serves, and advocates for displaced people throughout the world. We help refugees, asylum-seekers, victims of human trafficking, and migrants of all faiths, races, and ethnicities forge lives in safety and dignity.

With support from people like you, ICMC delivers humanitarian aid and social development, protects vulnerable migrants, contributes to refugee resettlement efforts, advocates before governments, and partners with civic leaders. We seek a sustainable solution to dangerous migration and refugee crises.

Find out more by visiting our website.