immigration
Americannoun
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the movement of non-native people into a country in order to settle there
-
the part of a port, airport, etc where government employees examine the passports, visas, etc of foreign nationals entering the country
Other Word Forms
- anti-immigration adjective
- immigrational adjective
- immigratory adjective
- nonimmigration noun
- preimmigration noun
- proimmigration adjective
Etymology
Origin of immigration
Explanation
Immigration is the process of moving to a new country to stay. New York's Ellis Island was considered a gateway for European immigration to the United States during the early 1900's. Nowadays, people immigrate through airports instead of islands. The word migration is in immigration, which is something we think of birds doing when they fly South for the winter. It's not an accident — if American birds had little passports, they'd have to go through immigration when they got to Mexico. When humans immigrate, they have to follow the rules of the new country or else they risk getting in trouble. Immigration is the act of going to a new country, while emigration refers to the process of leaving one.
Vocabulary lists containing immigration
Human Geography - Middle School
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The United States
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Human Geography - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sotomayor was discussing a September 2025 ruling on the court’s emergency docket involving the factors that federal agents can use as a basis to stop people and question them about their immigration status.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
If courts allow his suit to proceed, they will finally compel immigration agents to operate within the Constitution—or face consequences for defying it.
From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026
After gathering initial evidence, including tip-offs, we sent undercover reporters to investigate how willing immigration advisers were to help people make up false asylum claims.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
But immigration agents continued to roam the Twin Cities, and activists continued to get arrested.
From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026
This was the true end of our immigration nightmare.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
