Emigration: Definition, Meaning, and Reasons

You might wonder how to distinguish between immigration and emigration. For that, you need to
understand all differences between these concepts. As you now know, immigration means moving to
another country. Emigration denotes a process of a person leaving their native region in order to find
permanent dwelling elsewhere.  It is related to an initial country of residence, so if you were born in
Russia and decided to move to Canada, for your birth country, you’ll be an emigrant. Emigration can be
confused with such concepts as forced displacement, resettlement, and refugees, which is a frequent
mistake. Sure, all these concepts could be interrelated, but if you say that you intend to emigrate, it
means that you decided to leave your country by yourself, without being pushed into this decision. The
reasons for emigration are the same as those listed above — people are ready to start another life in a
new country out of personal or professional motivations, so they leave the place of their origins.

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Migrant, Refugee, and Asylum Seeker: Concepts & Their Differences

Now that you’re aware of a difference between emigrate and immigrate, how about migration? What
does it mean and what is its role in relation to the two concepts? Also, what does being a refugee or an
asylum seeker entail? Don’t worry about being confused — all these definitions share a close connection
as they are all focused on a permanent move from one country to another. But they have many unique
nuances that help distinguish them.

 Migrant. It is a person who changes countries for various reasons. The term itself is broad and
non-specific, but it implies one’s willingness to move. If you decide to emigrate or immigrate,
you can be called a migrant.

 Refugee. As opposed to migrants, refugees don’t choose to switch between countries willingly.
They are forced to do it because of war actions or other large-scale types of violence that
threaten their safety. They are simply unable to keep staying in their homes, and they have no
way to return there until the situation is improved and peace is restored.    

 Asylum Seeker. Unlike a refugee, this is a person who flees from smaller-scale violence. Local
gangs and their attempts at recruitment, personal persecution, high levels of general violence —
a person might not be in immediate danger and their home might not be destroyed, but staying
there is still not safe, which forces them to try finding protection elsewhere.     

So, out of these three groups, only migrants choose to relocate willingly. Both refugees and asylum
seekers are pushed into it by the circumstances. At the same time, the former run from country-level
conflict while the latter is threatened by less global yet still dangerous kinds of menace.