immigrate

To immigrate is to move from one country and then resettle in another country.

• Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world immigrated to the United States last year.
• Millions of people have immigrated to the United States in the last ten years.
• Would you like to immigrate to the United States?
• A person who has immigrated legally to the United States may apply to become a U.S. citizen after five years as a resident.

A person who immigrates is called an immigrant.

• Immigrants help provide a much needed supply of labor.
• If you are an immigrant, be prepared to work very hard in the country that you move to.
• Life is not easy for an immigrant.
• I (Teacher Paul) teach immigrants English in my classroom every day.

The word "immigration" is a noun:

• Immigration provides a country with a diverse, multi-ethnic population.
• Immigration to the United States decreases when the economy is bad.

Advice from Teacher Paul:

I’ve worked with immigrants since I started teaching English in 1989. If you are thinking about immigrating to the United States, I have some advice for you. Do it legally. It’s hard to wait, I know. Some people have to wait five to ten years for the process to take place. But when people come to the U.S. illegally, they live daily with the fear of being caught. And if they are caught, they may be jailed and sent back immediately.

Also, be prepared for the reality of living in the United States. The first few months are exciting and everything is new. But after that, the reality of being away from your homeland, your family and your friends begins to set in. Homesickness is a problem. Add to that the fact that life in the U.S. is not what many immigrants imagined before arriving here. Life here can be just as hard if not harder than the life that was left behind.

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October 9, 2015