What does 'immigrant' mean to you if you live in the UK?

[ContessaferJones]

Deliberately posted in Chat rather than AIBU as it's meant to be a conversation rather than right/wrong answers.

This topic was discussed the other night between me and DH when C4 was doing interviews with medics of Asian ethnicity. I think several of the people interviewed were described (and may have described themselves) as immigrants, despite having been born and raised in Britain and now working within Britain. I was a bit surprised by this as I'd have called their parents immigrants, but not them personally as they were born here.

This also made me reflect on my own position. I was born here to a British mother and an Arab father, then was raised in the Middle East til coming here for University - I was clueless about the UK, had no current cultural references and couldn't understand the buses never thought of myself as an immigrant though.

So.... What is an immigrant, to you/in conversation? Who fits that description? How far down the generations does it stop applying (or does it never end)? There are Americans who pride themselves on being Dutch despite having come across from the Netherlands over 100 years ago, so maybe never....

Interested to hear responses

Someone who moves to a country with the intention of staying there. My maternal grandfather was an immigrant to the UK and so was his mother (Russian) first to the country of his birth and eventually to the UK.

And one of the lesser spoken issues is how immigrants themselves (and their descendants) can be incredibly racist.

My mum and at least one of her brothers are definitely racist and Brexit supporters (not saying the 2 are neccessarily linked, just that they happened to be both).

For me it's someone who has moved from their place of birth to another country. I moved to the UK when I was a year old, and I was naturalized British as a child, but I would still categorise myself as an immigrant (but I'd also say that I'm British, because that's what it says on my passport). My DSis was born in the UK, after my parents had moved here, so I wouldn't call her an immigrant. I'm aware that many people use it as a derogatory term, but I think of it as factual.

All of my children and my neices and nephews were born in the UK. I woiuldn't call them immigrants, I just see them as British (but different to people who have had generations of family history in the UK). I would find it odd if someone described themselves as an immigrant if they were born in the UK.

I’ve heard people describe themselves as first generation and even second generation immigrants as the country of origin often has a lasting profound influence.

It’s not just about place of birth. Lots of U.K. citizens my age and older were born in British Forces hospitals abroad but of course they were U.K. citizens.

Yes, I am one of 5 siblings, and we were born in 4 different countries.
All of us have British citizenship and none of us feel like immigrants to the UK.

@HoldMyLobster

I've asked this question.

My children were born in the UK. We moved to the US when they were 6, 4 and 2. Are they immigrants? Certainly my 6 year old went through a period of adapting to a different schooling system and feeling like an outsider. Now they feel like Americans.

If they moved back to the UK as adults would they be immigrants there?

Neither DH or I were born in either the UK or the US, just to complicate matters.

DH cannot move back to the country where he was born - it's too unsafe - but for a long time he also couldn't get British citizenship despite having a British mother. He struggles to say which country he is 'from', so in a way he's an immigrant wherever he goes. He now has 3 nationalities and 3 passports, and he may get a 4th eventually through his marriage to me.

Yes, imho your children are immigrants in the USA and if they moved back to the U.K., they would be still immigrants (even if they were British citizens).

Immigrant is someone who has gone through the process of moving from one country to another. Immigrants really should be admired for bravery and ability to adapt to many cultures, because so many are literally too cowardly to even move cross their own country much less to another country.

It’s not an identity based on citizenship or ethnicity. Bigots have added that negative connotation because they wrongly think people only immigrate to a “better life” which is not true. I’m sure you’ve heard the term “economic migrant” it’s a stand in for “immigrant” with bigots.

I think of immigrants as people who have settled in a different country on a permanent basis (as opposed to being sent temporarily by their company or working holidays)

My parents are different nationalities.
My mum moved to my dad's country when she was early 20s.

I've lived in both of my parents countries and third countries. I'm obviously an immigrant in the third countries but I'm treated as an immigrant in both of my parents countries too.

I would say anyone who has moved to this country from another country is an immigrant. If they subsequently take British citizenship they cease to be immigrants.

An immigrant to me is someone who lives in a country that (a) they were not born in and (b) they have no previous parental connection to.

So, if you were born in (say) Bolivia and your parents were both Bolivian and you now live in the UK then you're an immigrant. However, if you were born in Bolivia and one of your parents was British and the other Bolivian, then you are not.

It the lack of connection with the country of residence that makes you an immigrant.

I'm an immigrant, I intend to live here indefinitely, I think though when I can get British citizenship I will consider myself more of a dual citizen. That's a few years off though so maybe I will still feel like immigrant is the right term!

When it comes to Americans who say they're Dutch or whatever, we definitely don't consider ourselves immigrants even if really proud of a set of Irish grandparents or something. I think it's more of a heritage/fun fact thing. Like, my dad is of swedish heritage, we enjoy looking up his family that came over on the Ellis Island website, but we don't say we are Swedish for sure. Definitely American!

Born in country A and move to live in country B so you are an immigrant in country B. Your children born in country B are not immigrants. That's how I would view it anyway. But it's a long time (150 years or so) since my ancestors moved to the UK. Other people who have themselves moved here (or are descended from people who moved here) might feel differently.

I once pointed ou to my son that his grandfather was an immigrant having come from Ireland and he said as far as he was concerned that 'didn't count' as irish people weren't 'foreigners'.....how times have changed...