Cultural marker · Migration history
Genogram immigration symbol
Quick answer
Cultural transition
Single tilde ~
Immigration
Double tilde ~~
In a family
The child immigrated
How is immigration shown in a genogram?
In standard genogram notation, immigration and migration are indicated by placing a tilde symbol on the vertical line that connects a person to their parents. A single tilde (~) means the person has lived in two or more cultures, while a double tilde (~~) indicates the person has immigrated from another country. The tilde is drawn as a wavy interruption in the otherwise straight vertical connection line.
This notation is part of the genogram system described by McGoldrick and colleagues to support culturally informed family assessment. Unlike most genogram symbols that mark relationships or life events, the tilde is specifically designed to capture the cultural and geographical dimensions of a person's life history, making it an essential tool for working with immigrant and multicultural families.
Standard genogram notation
Single tilde vs. double tilde
| Variant | How it looks | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Single tilde (~): cultural transition | One wave across the parent-child line | Person has lived in two or more cultures. This may include people who grew up in a bicultural household, lived abroad for an extended period, or were raised in a cultural enclave different from the surrounding society. |
| Double tilde (~~): immigration | Two waves across the parent-child line | Person has immigrated from another country. This marks a permanent or long-term relocation across national borders, carrying significant implications for identity, legal status, language, and family cohesion. |
| Country and year | Written beside the tilde, e.g. "~~ Mexico, 1998" | Alongside the tilde, practitioners typically note the country of origin and the year of migration. This detail enriches the clinical picture. |
| Placement | On the vertical line between the parents' line and the person's square or circle | It applies to the specific person, not to the family as a whole. |
What does the immigration symbol tell a clinician?
- Acculturation stress: Immigrants often experience tension between their culture of origin and the host culture. The tilde makes it immediately visible which family members navigated this transition
- Generational differences: When parents carry double tildes but children do not, the genogram reveals potential acculturation gaps: parents rooted in the origin culture while children assimilate into the host culture
- Diaspora patterns: Tracking tildes across extended family reveals whether migration was an isolated event or part of a broader family or community pattern
- Loss and grief: Immigration often involves leaving behind extended family, community, language, and social status. These losses may remain unprocessed across generations
- Resilience and adaptation: Migration also reveals family strengths: resourcefulness, flexibility, and the capacity to rebuild in unfamiliar environments
- Legal and documentation status: For clinical purposes, immigration status (documented, undocumented, refugee, asylum-seeker) can be annotated near the tilde, as this profoundly affects family stress and access to resources
Pattern recognition
When to use each variant
Use the single tilde (~) when
- The person has significant experience living in more than one culture but has not necessarily relocated permanently across national borders
- A child was raised by parents from two different cultural backgrounds
- A person spent formative years living abroad (such as military families or diplomat children)
- Someone was raised in an ethnic enclave whose home culture differs substantially from the surrounding society
- A person has undergone significant cultural transition within the same country (such as moving from a rural indigenous community to an urban center)
Use the double tilde (~~) when
- The person has immigrated: permanently relocated from one country to another
- Voluntary immigration for economic opportunity or family reunification
- Forced migration due to war, persecution, or natural disaster (refugees and asylum-seekers)
- Colonial or post-colonial migration patterns
- Any permanent cross-border relocation regardless of legal status. The double tilde specifically marks the act of crossing a national boundary with the intent of establishing a new life in a different country
Multicultural family assessment
The immigration symbol is a cornerstone of the cultural genogram, an extension of the standard genogram that foregrounds cultural identity, migration history, and intercultural dynamics. In multicultural family assessment, the tilde symbols help clinicians quickly identify which family members share migration experiences and which do not, a distinction that frequently maps onto family conflict lines.
For example, a family where grandparents carry double tildes (immigrated), parents carry single tildes (bicultural), and grandchildren carry no tildes (born and raised in the host country) presents a classic three-generation acculturation gradient. Each generation may hold different values around language use, partner selection, religious practice, and family obligation: tensions that the genogram makes structurally visible.
How to add immigration symbols in GenogramAI
- 1
Select the person
Select the person on the canvas who has a migration history. - 2
Find the Immigration Marker
In the person's panel on the right, find Immigration Marker. (You can also set it from the panel of the line that connects them to their parents.) - 3
Choose the marker
Choose "Single (~)" for a cultural transition or "Double (~~)" for immigration. - 4
Add the details
Optionally add the place of birth and a note with the country of origin and year of migration. - 5
Check the line
The tilde appears on the connection line above the person's symbol.
Special cases
Refugees and forced migration
Refugees and asylum-seekers receive the double tilde (~~) because they have crossed national borders. However, clinicians should annotate the involuntary nature of the migration, as forced displacement carries distinct psychological consequences compared to voluntary immigration, including trauma, loss of agency, and uncertain legal status.
Return migration
When a person immigrates and later returns to their country of origin, both moves can be noted in annotations alongside the tilde. This pattern is common in diaspora communities and may indicate unresolved attachment to the homeland, failed adaptation, or deliberate bicultural strategy.
Transnational families
In transnational families, where members live across two or more countries simultaneously, multiple family members may carry tildes. The genogram reveals the geographic dispersion of the family system, which has implications for caregiving, financial support networks, and emotional availability.
Undocumented status
Immigration status is not captured by the tilde itself, but it can be annotated nearby. For families where some members are documented and others are not, the genogram can reveal how legal status creates differential vulnerability within the same family system, a critical factor in clinical assessment.
Frequently asked questions
What does a tilde (~) mean on a genogram?
A single tilde (~) on the parent-child connection line indicates that the person has lived in two or more cultures. It marks a cultural transition without necessarily indicating a permanent move to another country. This could include bicultural upbringing, extended time living abroad, or significant cultural shifts within the same country.
What is the difference between a single tilde and a double tilde in a genogram?
A single tilde (~) indicates the person has lived in two or more cultures (cultural transition). A double tilde (~~) indicates the person has immigrated from another country (permanent relocation across national borders). The double tilde carries a stronger implication of geographic and legal displacement.
Where is the immigration symbol placed on a genogram?
The tilde (~) or double tilde (~~) is placed on the vertical parent-child connection line, between the parent couple's horizontal line and the individual's symbol. This placement indicates that the migration event is part of that specific person's life history, not the family's collective experience.
Who developed the genogram immigration symbol?
The immigration/migration tilde is part of the standard genogram notation described by Monica McGoldrick, Randy Gerson, and Sueli Petry. It supports culturally informed family assessment and is widely used in social work, family therapy, and multicultural counseling.
Can I use the immigration symbol for internal migration?
The single tilde (~) can capture significant internal cultural transitions, such as moving from a rural indigenous community to an urban setting. The double tilde (~~) is reserved for cross-border immigration. For internal moves that involve substantial cultural change, the single tilde is appropriate.
How do I show the entire family immigrated together?
Each family member who immigrated receives their own tilde on their individual connection line. If the entire nuclear family moved together, each person's line will carry the symbol. The year and country can be annotated once for clarity, with a note indicating the family migrated as a unit.