Belonging: How Immigrants Build Identity in Their Adopted Country

Belonging to a country is more than holding a passport or meeting a residency requirement. For those who have immigrated or are in the process of doing so, the feeling of being part of a place is shaped by language, customs, social ties, and the way institutions and neighbors treat those who arrived from elsewhere. This experience is studied by sociologists, psychologists, and research centers around the world, and the data shows that belonging is an ongoing process — not a fixed state achieved with a stamp on a document.

The Weight of Language

A Pew Research Center survey conducted across 36 countries with more than 65,000 respondents in 2024 and 2025 identified language as the primary factor associated with national belonging. On average, a majority of respondents in every country rated fluency in the local language as very or somewhat important to being truly part of that nation.

The reason is practical. Those who master the language navigate markets, schools, hospitals, government offices, and workplaces with autonomy. Without it, even basic tasks become exhausting negotiations, and participation in spontaneous conversations, local humor, and political debates remains limited. Language stops being a neutral tool and becomes a gateway to everyday life.

The weight assigned to language varies, however, by cultural context. In Singapore, only 25% of respondents say speaking Mandarin is very important to being truly Singaporean — a reflection of a country with four official languages. In more linguistically homogeneous economies, the figure exceeds 60%.

Differences by Age, Ideology, and Education

The data reveals internal divides within each country. Older and politically conservative individuals tend to value language as an identity marker more strongly than younger, progressive ones. In the United States, 71% of Republican voters consider speaking English essential to being truly American, compared to 21% of Democrats. Education also matters: those with a university degree tend to give language less weight as an absolute condition of belonging.

The Feeling of Always Being a Foreigner

Social psychology literature describes the prolonged sense of not belonging as a process of disaffiliation, defined by French sociologist Robert Castel as the state of those who exist on the margins of social structures without feeling part of them. For immigrants, this feeling can persist years after arrival, even with stable legal status and a materially comfortable life.

Mental health research links a lack of belonging to an increased risk of depression and anxiety. One of the core symptoms of depressive episodes is not isolated loneliness, but the perception of not belonging to any group. Being surrounded by people does not replace genuine bonds of identification.

What Makes the Experience Harder

The adaptation process does not depend solely on individual effort. Discrimination, administrative barriers, difficulties in professional credential recognition, and linguistic prejudice can prolong the phase of always feeling like a visitor. An engineer whose degree is recognized within months follows a very different path from a nurse who must retake licensing and residency exams — even within the same national group.

Customs, Traditions, and Culture Shock

Adopting local customs — such as greetings, etiquette in public spaces, and unspoken norms of coexistence — facilitates integration, but the balance between adaptation and identity is delicate. Completely abandoning one’s culture of origin produces a sense of biographical rupture. Ignoring the local repertoire generates daily friction that accumulates over time.

Pew data shows that the weight assigned to customs varies widely. In Indonesia, 79% consider following local traditions very important for belonging; in Japan, 23%. In Hungary, 62%; in Germany, 25%. There is no universal rule.

Culture shock tends to arrive in waves. The initial excitement gives way to a period of irritation with small differences, followed by a negotiation phase in which the immigrant builds a functional hybrid repertoire for the new context. Keeping the mother tongue at home, frequenting communities of shared origin, and visiting one’s home country periodically tend to help maintain the balance.

Place of Birth as a Criterion

In countries with a long tradition of immigration, birthplace loses strength as a criterion for belonging. In Canada, Australia, and Sweden, fewer than 10% of respondents consider being born in the country essential to being a full member. In societies with low recent migratory diversity, that figure exceeds 80%, as in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

These numbers are not neutral: they reflect how each country thinks about its national identity. Immigration societies tend to accept the idea of citizenship as a political pact, separable from birthplace. Ethno-national societies tend to treat birth as a condition of full access.

The Role of Institutions

Institutions shape belonging by defining who has access to public services, political representation, and protection against discrimination. When the public system recognizes immigrants’ rights and offers services in their language, simplifies administrative processes, and combats institutional discrimination, the sense of belonging grows.

When the opposite occurs, immigrants live in a state of vigilance. Every interaction with a police officer, judge, teacher, or government official becomes a potential source of risk. This environment blocks long-term plans, fuels a sense of transience, and directly impacts mental health and productivity.

Strategies for Actively Building Belonging

Belonging is not delivered automatically; it can be built through deliberate choices.

• Study the local language regularly, even after years of residency
• Maintain ties to your community of origin as an emotional anchor while gradually expanding your local circle
• Participate in community associations, volunteer work, sports, and cultural events
• Frequent local cultural institutions such as libraries, museums, and community centers
• Seek professional mental health support when the adaptation process becomes overwhelming
• Follow local politics and current events through native sources, not only through the diaspora
• Accept that the process is nonlinear, with advances and setbacks

Belonging does not mean abandoning a previous identity. The immigrant who successfully builds a life in a new country is generally someone who carries multiple references and moves fluidly between cultural repertoires without being reduced to any one of them. That duality is a richness, not an anomaly.

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

Leading journalism and editorial content at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps make immigration topics clear, trustworthy, and easy to understand. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.