immigration
Americannoun
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the movement of non-native people into a country in order to settle there
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the part of a port, airport, etc where government employees examine the passports, visas, etc of foreign nationals entering the country
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
He also investigated illegal immigration, war criminals in Bosnia and terror attacks including those behind the September 11 attacks in New York City.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
For nearly two decades following the expansion of the European Union in 2004, the story of immigration in Northern Ireland was written in Polish, Romanian, and Lithuanian.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
Especially as Western birth rates continue to decline, national populations will shrink without immigration.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026
Mario, who asked to be identified by only his first name because of his pending immigration case, is among seven workers who U.S.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
The date of my birth got even more confusing when my dad accidentally filled out an immigration document incorrectly and suddenly I was born on September 21.
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.
