migrant

Definition(s)

In the global context, a person who is outside the territory of the State of which they are nationals or citizens and who has resided in a foreign country for more than one year irrespective of the causes, voluntary or involuntary, and the means, regular or irregular, used to migrate.
In the EU/EFTA context, a person who either:
(i) establishes their usual residence in the territory of an EU/EFTA Member State for a period that is, or is expected to be, of at least 12 months, having previously been usually resident in another EU/EFTA Member State or a third country; or
(ii) having previously been usually resident in the territory of the EU/EFTA Member State, ceases to have their usual residence in the EU/EFTA Member State for a period that is, or is expected to be, of at least 12 months.

Source(s)

Global context: derived by EMN from the UN Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration
EU context: Derived by EMN from Eurostat’s Concepts and Definitions Database and the UN Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration

Translations

BG: мигрант
CS: migrant
DE: Migrant
EL: μετανάστης
EN: migrant
ES: persona migrante
ET: sisserändaja
FI: maahanmuuttaja / maastamuuttaja
FR: migrant
GA: imirceach
HR: migrant
HU: migráns
IT: migrante
LT: migrantas
LV: migrants
MT: Migrant(a)
NL: migrant
PL: migrant
PT: migrante
RO: migrant
SK: migrant
SL: migrant
SV: migrant
NO: migrant
KA: მიგრანტი
UK: мігрант
HY: միգրանտ

Narrower Term(s)

Related Term(s)

migration

Note(s)

1. At international level, no universally accepted definition for 'migrant' exists, but the UN recommendations for statistics on international migration and on population censuses specifies at least one year as the criterion for change of country of usual residence to define this change as ‘migration’.
2. Under the UN definition, those travelling for shorter periods as tourists and business persons would not be considered migrants. However, common usage includes certain kinds of shorter-term migrants such as seasonal workers.
3. The term 'migrant' is usually understood to cover all cases where the decision to migrate is taken freely by the individual concerned for reasons of 'personal convenience' and without intervention of an external compelling factor; it therefore applies to persons, and family members, moving to another country or region to better their material or social conditions and improve the prospect for themselves or their family.
4. This definition does not include intra-EU mobility of citizens or residents, even though national concepts of international migration may include mobility, as will national statistics on international migration.