The terms immigration law and (i)migration law are often used interchangeably. There is no substantial difference in daily use. The term migration law is more commonly used by professionals in the field because it refers to people moving between countries. For example, a Dutch person can also become a foreign citizen if he chooses to live in Belgium. Migration law is therefore a more international term that concerns not only national laws, but also international regulations. To emphasize this point, our association uses the term migration law rather than immigration law.

Migration law is part of administrative law, which concerns all the rules relating to the entry, entry, stay and transfer of foreigners. This also includes their claims to facilities and naturalization. In addition, a distinction is often made between ordinary foreigner or migration laws and asylum laws. The right of asylum concerns situations where a person cannot return to his/her country for political, religious or other (security) reasons. All situations not related to asylum law involve regular migration law.