Emigrate and immigrate

Emigrate means to leave one country and settle in another. It focuses on the point of
departure.
Immigrate means to enter a new country with the purpose of staying there. It focuses on the
point of arrival.

Emigrate
The verb to emigrate focuses on leaving your home country to move permanently to another.

Examples:

 People say there's no quality of life in Russia, and everyone wants to emigrate.
 Very few inhabitants emigrate from this province, where the birth-rate considerably
exceeds the death-rate.
 It is foolish to claim, as some do, that emigration into space offers a long-term escape
from Earth's problems. Nowhere in our solar system offers an environment even as
clement as the Antarctic or the top of Everest. (Martin Rees)

(Emigration is the noun from the verb to emigrate.)

Immigrate
The verb to immigrate means to move to a new country with the purpose of settling there.
Immigrate focuses on entering the new country.

Examples:

 New Zealanders who immigrate to Australia raise the IQ of both countries. (Robert
Muldoon)
 Immigration is one of the leading contributors to population growth. (Paul Watson)

(Immigration is the noun from the verb to immigrate.)

WAYS TO REMEMBER

With emigrate think exit or export.

With immigrate think in or import.

EMIGRATE AND IMMIGRATE ARE OFTEN INTERCHANGEABLE

The words emigrate and immigrate are often interchangeable. For example:

 Sarah emigrated to England from Australia.

 (This focuses on Sarah leaving Australia.)

 Sarah immigrated to England from Australia.

(This focuses on Sarah arriving in England and, without further context, suggests the
speaker is located in England.)