# immigrate

/ˈɪməˌɡɹeɪt/ (US) · /ˈɪmɪɡɹˌeɪt/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/immigrate
Updated: 2026-10-18

## Definition

to move to a different country to live there for a long time. You use this when you talk about coming into the new country.

For teachers: to enter and settle permanently in a country other than one's native country. Contrasted with 'emigrate', which frames the same movement from the point of departure.

## Examples

- Many families immigrate to Canada for better jobs.
- After finishing her degree, she hopes to immigrate to Australia and join her sister in Melbourne.
- Although her parents had immigrated decades earlier, she still felt a strong connection to their stories of leaving home and starting again.

## Pitfalls

- Not "They emigrated to Canada in 2010" but "They immigrated to Canada in 2010" — 'Immigrate to' means to enter a new country; 'emigrate from' means to leave one's own country.

## Usage notes

- Takes the preposition 'to' for the destination country; contrasted with 'emigrate from' for the country left.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.