Immigration Vocabulary

Alien

• Citizen of another country

• Foreign-born people who do not possess valid immigration documentation

• Person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster 

• Legal process by which citizens of one country become citizens of another.

Citizen

• Person with certain rights and responsibilities in his or her country or community

• Citizen of another country

• Person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster

• Strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country.

Immigrant

• Person who comes to a country where they were not born in order to settle, live and work there. 

• Protection from a country because the refugee fears persecution or they have experienced violence or human rights violations in another country.

• Citizen of another country

• Foreign-born non-citizens who are not legal residents.

Unauthorized

•  Foreign-born non-citizens who are not legal residents. Most unauthorized residents entered the US without inspection or were admitted temporarily and stayed past the date they were required to leave.

• Also called illegal aliens.

• Person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster

• Citizen of another country

Undocumented Immigrant

• Also called illegal aliens. Foreign-born people who do not possess valid immigration documentation, because they entered the U.S. without inspection, stayed longer than their temporary visa permitted, or otherwise violated the terms under which they were admitted.

• Person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster 

• Person who leaves a country live elsewhere.

• Strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country.

Refugee

• Person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster

• Person who leaves a country live elsewhere.

• The process of adopting the language and culture of a dominant social group or nation, or being socially integrated into the culture of the dominant group in a society. 

• Strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country.

 Emigrant

• Person who leaves a country live elsewhere.

• Policy of limiting the number of minority group members (nationality, ethnic group) that may enter the U.S. each year.

• Person with certain rights and responsibilities in his or her country or community

• Foreign-born non-citizens who are not legal residents.

Asylum

• Protection from a country because the refugee fears persecution or they have experienced violence or human rights violations in another country.

• Legal process by which citizens of one country become citizens of another. 

• Citizen of another country

•  The process of adopting the language and culture of a dominant social group or nation, or being socially integrated into the culture of the dominant group in a society.

Assimilation

• The process of adopting the language and culture of a dominant social group or nation, or being socially integrated into the culture of the dominant group in a society.

• Protection from a country because the refugee fears persecution or they have experienced violence or human rights violations in another country.

• Legal process by which citizens of one country become citizens of another.

• Group of people who share common ancestry, language, religion, customs, etc. (I.e. Polish, Czech, Hmong)

Naturalization

•  Legal process by which citizens of one country become citizens of another.

• Protection from a country because the refugee fears persecution or they have experienced violence or human rights violations in another country.

• The process of adopting the language and culture of a dominant social group or nation, or being socially integrated into the culture of the dominant group in a society.

•  Fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers