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Many political or economic emigrants move together with their families toward new regions or new countries where they hope to find peace or job opportunities not available to them in their original location. Throughout history a large number of emigrants return to their homelands, often after they have earned sufficient money in the other country. Sometimes these emigrants move to countries with big cultural differences and will always feel as guests in their destinations, and preserve their original culture, traditions and language, sometimes transmitting them to their children. The conflict between the native and the newer culture may easily create social contrasts, generally resulting in an uncomfortable situation for the "foreigners", who have to understand legal and social systems sometimes new and strange to them. Often, communities of emigrants grow up in the destination areas, collecting immigrants of common provenance, also to help for integration.

Emigration had a profound influence on the world in the 19th and the 20th century, when thousands of poor families left Western Europe for the United States, South America and Australia.

Emigration might also be due to population transfer and/or ethnic cleansing.

See also

• immigration
• diasporaThe term diaspora ( Greek διασπορα, a scattering or sowing of seeds) is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands, be
• émigré
• exileSee Exile (disambiguation) for other meanings. To be in exile means being away from your home (i. city, state or country) and being either explicitly refused permission to return or being threatened by prison or death upon return. Personal exile Exile has
• refugeeUnder international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political