What is the difference between a colonist and a migrant?

The terms "colonist" and "migrant" in the context of the thirteen original colonies are semantically different. It is easy to see how either term can apply to people who traveled to the new world. Let's start with the easier of the two terms to understand.
A colonist is a settler, or a person who resides in a colony. The key phrase is "resides in a colony." Colonists made a permanent settlement in a territory or, in this instance, the new American continent. How does this differ from the word "migrant"? Here is the semantical difference.
A migrant is a person who regularly moves from place to place in search of better opportunities for employment, quality of life, or to escape persecution. By definition, migrants move from one place to another within a specific geographic or political boundary. For example, during the Great Depression in the United States, many farmers moved from the midwest to California seeking employment. In the United States, there are many migrant workers in agriculture. So are colonists migrants?
Technically, colonists are not migrants. The word "immigrant" applies to the colonists who settled the American continent and move to new countries. Immigrants are people who move from one country to another. The colonists who settled the American continent were immigrants from Great Britain, France, Spain, and other countries that migrated to the New World. In our current time, immigrants are people who are migrating to different countries to seek possible permanent or temporary residence as a citizen of a new country.
In American history and in our current time, "migrant" and "immigrant" are conflated to have the same meaning. The term "colonist" is no longer applicable, as immigrants who establish permanent residence in a new country become citizens of that country or temporarily reside in a country other than the one they originate. For example, refugees are people fleeing from catastrophic events in their home country and taking temporary refuge or shelter from danger in a new country. The term "colonist" has a negative connotation, as it is associated with the political policy of colonialism and imperialism. Colonialism is the assumption of the political control and domination of one country by another. Imperialism is the use of military force to control one country over another.
Language is constantly evolving, and terms like "colonists," "migrant," and "immigrant" sometimes are appropriated out of context, and their meaning becomes unclear.