immigrant
Last updatedWhat to know
From the perspective of the country to which the individual is moving, an immigrant is someone who leaves their country of nationality or usual residence for the country of arrival.
Immigrants generally intend to settle long term in their destination country. The Homeland Security Department uses the term immigrant interchangeably with “permanent resident alien,” i.e., someone who has been granted permanent residence in the US, though the Immigration and Nationality Act “broadly defines an immigrant as any alien in the United States, except one legally admitted under specific nonimmigrant categories” such as tourists or students.
Immigrant, refugee, and asylum seeker are all technically types of migrants, though the latter two imply involuntary migration.
Additional resources
- Key Migration Terms (International Organization for Migration)
- Explainer: Who Is An Immigrant? (Migration Policy Institute)
Summary
An immigrant is someone who moves to a country other than that of their nationality or usual residence. Immigrant, refugee, and asylum seeker are all technically types of migrants, though the latter two imply involuntary migration.