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Prepositions after verbs

Emigrate to or emigrate from?

Use emigrate to for the destination and emigrate from for the country or place someone leaves.

Quick answer

Which preposition goes with emigrate?

Use emigrate to when talking about the new country or destination. Use emigrate from when talking about the original country.

Her family emigrated to Canada
They emigrated from Italy
Many workers emigrated to Australia in the 1950s

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
emigrate to + destination

Showing the new country or place

To introduces the destination where someone settles.

He emigrated to New Zealand
Thousands emigrated to the United States
2
emigrate from + origin

Showing the place left behind

From introduces the country or region a person leaves.

Her grandparents emigrated from Poland
Many families emigrated from rural areas
3
emigrate from + origin + to + destination

Showing both movement points

You can use both prepositions together to describe the full move.

They emigrated from Spain to Mexico
She emigrated from India to the UK

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
emigrate to
He emigrated to Brazil after university.
Focuses on the destination country.
emigrate from
They emigrated from Lebanon in 1982.
Focuses on the country or region left behind.
immigrate to
She immigrated to Germany for work.
Immigrate views the move from the destination country's perspective.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Confusing emigrate and immigrate

Emigrate focuses on leaving a place, while immigrate focuses on entering a new place.

✕ They immigrated from France to Chile. ✓ They emigrated from France to Chile.

Using to for the origin country

To introduces the destination, not the place someone leaves.

✕ He emigrated to Russia in 1995. ✓ He emigrated from Russia in 1995.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. Her parents emigrated ___ Argentina in the 1970s.
2. Many people emigrated ___ the region after the war.
3. They emigrated ___ Turkey to Canada.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I use emigrate with both from and to?

Yes. A full description often includes both, such as emigrate from Japan to Peru.

What is the difference between emigrate and immigrate?

Emigrate means leave a country. Immigrate means enter and settle in another country.

Is emigrate used for short trips?

No. Emigrate normally refers to moving permanently or long term to another country.

earmark-for-by-as-about, at "earn from", "earn by" or "earn in"? "ease into", "ease by" or "ease in"? "eat at", "eat with" or "eat in"? "echo in" or "echo by"? edit by, for, in, to or from? "educate in" or "educate at"? eject from, at, in, into or by? elaborate on, in, upon, by or about? "elect to" or "elect by"? elevate to, in, above, by or as? "eliminate from", "eliminate in" or "eliminate by"?

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