immigrate

American  

[im-i-grayt] / ˈɪm ɪˌgreɪt /

verb (used without object)

• immigrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• immigrated,
  past participle,  past
• immigrating
  present participle

1. to come to a country of which one is not a native, usually for permanent residence.

2. to pass or come into a new habitat or place, as an organism.

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verb (used with object)

• immigrates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• immigrated,
  past participle,  past
• immigrating
  present participle

1. to introduce as settlers.

   to immigrate cheap labor.

immigrate British  

/ ˈɪmɪˌɡreɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to come to a place or country of which one is not a native in order to settle there Compare emigrate

2. (intr) (of an animal or plant) to migrate to a new geographical area

3. (tr) to introduce or bring in as an immigrant

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Synonym Usage

See migrate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• immigrator
  noun
• immigratory
  adjective
• unimmigrating
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• immigrating
  present
• immigrated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• immigrate
  simple
• immigrates
  simple
• have immigrated
  perfect
• has immigrated
  perfect
• am immigrating
  progressive
• are immigrating
  progressive
• is immigrating
  progressive
• have been immigrating
  perfect progressive
• has been immigrating
  perfect progressive

Past

• immigrated
  simple
• had immigrated
  perfect
• was immigrating
  progressive
• were immigrating
  progressive
• had been immigrating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will immigrate
  simple
• will have immigrated
  perfect
• will be immigrating
  progressive
• will have been immigrating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of immigrate

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin immigrātus (past participle of immigrāre “to move into”); see im- ¹, migrate

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Explanation

When a person immigrates, he or she moves to a new country. During the great wave of immigration between 1880 and 1924, over 25 million Europeans immigrated to the United States. Many immigrants make significant contributions to their adopted countries. Consider Albert Einstein, the greatest physicist of the twentieth century, who immigrated to America from Germany, or the Russian-born New Yorker Irving Berlin, who wrote some of the most popular songs in the American songbook, including “White Christmas” and “God Bless America." The word immigrate comes from the Latin imigrare, which means “to move in.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

immigrate immigrates immigrated immigrating

Back in Maine, Abdi said his brother Hassan, who couldn't immigrate to the US because of visa restrictions, instead recently became a citizen of Canada.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

But lawyers told Barron’s that most of their wealthy foreign clients who want to immigrate aren’t applying for the Gold Card—they’re pursuing other options.

From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026

“I couldn’t have sold that 1st taco if my parents didn’t make the difficult decision to leave their homeland for a better life & immigrate to the U.S.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026

The pause takes effect starting Jan. 21, and will halt visa issuance to people looking to immigrate permanently, typically through marriage, family ties or work sponsorship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026

At the time, Congress was about to pass a new immigration act that made it easy for so-called Nordic people to immigrate to the United States.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

A Central or South American who immigrates to the U.S. could see their greenhouse gas emissions double or triple, just by becoming part of the U.S. economy.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 25, 2023

Khalifa, who immigrates to Mombasa, Kenya, promises Ilyas he will care for Afiya.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2022

Her 2013 debut novel, “We Need New Names,” was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for its indelible tale of a Zimbabwean girl who immigrates to the United States.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 6, 2022

Beauty and the Beast is about an Asian family that immigrates to France and they're trying to make a business, even though there's quite a bit of racism against them there.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2021

A person emigrates from the land he leaves, and immigrates to the land where he takes up his abode.

From English Synonyms and Antonyms With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions by James Champlin Fernald

Enforcement of that policy ended in 2015, one year before Zhang immigrated to the U.S. with the help of her ex-husband, according to a divorce filing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Orélien, who immigrated to Montreal after the Haiti earthquake in 2010, said in his statement that his style draws from Haiti and the Caribbean “where poetry, images, repetition and rhythm carry a living message.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

I was 22, about the age Suvorova’s mother was when they immigrated to the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Born in Bulgaria to Armenian parents who survived the genocide, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1961 and studied at Columbia University, earning advanced degrees in nuclear engineering and nuclear physics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

This time when he tried to cross, his shoe grazed the wire and he plummeted to the ground, and that was how my father immigrated to Holland.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

Savani, a dentist with no background in trade policy, craved the sweet fruit of his childhood after immigrating to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

Large numbers of deportations are one factor, he said, but besides that, some will decide against immigrating to the U.S., while others already in the country will choose to leave.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026

Citizens of another seven countries were blocked from permanently immigrating to the U.S., or for applying for tourist or student visas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

Rothman’s family fled Romanian pogroms against Jewish people at the turn of the 20th century, immigrating to Philadelphia, according to Magda Peck, a cousin of Rothman’s mother.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025

Coach Korfanty had had an illustrious fencing career in his native Poland before immigrating to the United States and starting a career in coaching in Portland, Oregon.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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Related Words

• arrive
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