How is an immigrant an immigrant?

Answer 1

There seem to be two definitions of the word, a loose conversational definition and then the formal United States use of the word. Conversationally, many people refer to someone from Another Country as an Immigrant, whether they are visiting or whether they have lived in the United States for 30 years.

For US purposes, "Immigrant" status recognizes the intent of someone from another country to reside in the United States permanently. At that point it would be most proper to refer to that person as an Immigrant, until the time that they become as US Citizen.

If you're considering migrating to the United States, meaning that you want to reside in the US permanently, you will need an Immigrant visa - which requires proof that you intend to reside in the US permanently.

http://www.gregorypsheehan.com/Immigration/getting-started-some-definitions-and-examples-of-immigration-language/