A second-generation immigrant is an individual who was born and raised in the United States and has at least one foreign-born parent. The term "second-generation" extends the concept of first-generation by one generation. As such, the term exhibits the same type of ambiguity as "first-generation," as well as additional ones. Like "first-generation immigrant," the term "second-generation" can refer to a member of either:

• The second generation of a family to inhabit, but the first natively born in, a country, or
• The second generation born in a country (i.e. "third generation" in the above definition) .

In the United States, among demographers and other social scientists, "second generation" refers to the U.S.-born children of foreign-born parents. The term "second-generation immigrant" attracts criticism due to it being an oxymoron. Critics say that a "second-generation immigrant" is not an immigrant, since being "second-generation" means that the person is born in the country and the persons parents are the immigrants in question.