Returnee not remigrant

Dear Editor,

The word ‘remigrant’ is often seen in print media referring to Guyanese nationals who now reside in Guyana after leaving wherever they had been. Immigration laws the world over use this word in the strictest sense. The way it is applied in articles locally, however, gives the context an ambiguous meaning, so we have no clue as to what is being reported.

A person cannot migrate to their place of birth; this is a returnee. Most countries simply refer to their nationals who sojourned abroad as returnees.

Yours faithfully,

John De Barros