Public Services and Procurement Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Important notice

Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.

For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!

Search Canada.ca
To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index below and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

emigrate, immigrate, migrate

A person who emigrates leaves one country or region to settle in another.

  • A large number of Italians emigrated after the Second World War, scattering all over the world.

In contrast, a person who immigrates enters and settles in a country or region.

  • Many Haitians have immigrated to Canada in recent years, settling in Montréal in particular.

People and animals migrate, moving from one place to another, often on a seasonal basis.

  • Retirees often migrate from eastern Canada to British Columbia.
  • Monarch butterflies migrate from Canada to Mexico.

Emigrant, immigrant and migrant are the corresponding nouns and adjectives.

  • Every year emigrants leave their war-torn countries, looking for a safer place to live.
  • The government has heightened border security to curb the entry of illegal immigrants.
  • Migrant workers are essential to the tobacco harvest.