Emigrate vs. Immigrate

I posted recently on the incorrect use of "immigrant" for Puerto Ricans. The same goes for "emigrant," since Puerto Ricans are citizens.

What's the difference between "emigrate" and "immigrate." It has to do with coming or going: emigrate refers to leaving a homeland; immigrate refers to arriving in a new country. The usual distinction is that one emigrates from while one immigrates to. My friend Riccardo emigrated from Italy. Sofia immigrated to the U.S. from Chile.

But as The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage explains,

Either word can be followed by from or to, depending on the context: when focusing on life or conditions in the old country, write, She emigrated from Sweden or She emigrated to Canada. When focusing on life or conditions in the new country, write, She immigrated from Sweden or She immigrated to Canada.

When President Bush was in the White House, a lot of my friends considered emigrating to Canada. Now we're content staying in our homeland.