Immigration doesn't imply permanency. Indeed, most migrants don't aim for permanent residency.

There is a widespread idea to count permanent migrants only, but in practice, that's impossible to determine in the first place, and has no tangible consequences either.

Think about undocumented migrants, who do not have the right to abode, permanent or otherwise. Think about nations that don't offer permanent residency to newly arriving immigrants, or at all. Think about people who already have the right to abode (e.g. a citizen of Ireland in the UK) - are they immigrants without setting foot in the country?

Tying migration to a permanent status just doesn't make sense. Indeed, the UN Migration Agency (IOM) defines a migrant as:

> any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of

(1) the person’s legal status;

(2) whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary;

(3) what the causes for the movement are; or

(4) what the length of the stay is.