ENGLISH
REFERENCE

immigrant

n. countable
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɪməɡɹənt// UK //ˈɪmɪɡɹənt// im·mi·grant General-service

n. a person who moves to a new country to live there permanently. You use this word for someone who has left their home country to start a new life elsewhere.

n. a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. Often used in legal and sociological contexts to distinguish between those arriving and those departing.


SIMPLE

My grandfather was an immigrant who moved here for work.

CONTEXTUAL

The city has a diverse population because many immigrants settled here during the last century.

COMPLEX

The government is currently debating new policies to support immigrants as they integrate into the local workforce and education system.

Origin

From Latin immigrans, present active participle of immigrāre (“to migrate into”), from in- (“into”) + migrāre (“to migrate”).

Usage

Commonly followed by the preposition 'to' when specifying the destination country.

Pitfall

He is an emigrant to Canada.He is an immigrant to Canada.Use 'immigrant' for someone coming into a country and 'emigrant' for someone leaving their own country.

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