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If you move somewhere with an intention of making a new life there in the place, then you're an immigrant. If you are temporarily relocated, usually for work yo
by kgin 6y ago
If you move somewhere with an intention of making a new life there in the place, then you're an immigrant. If you are temporarily relocated, usually for work you're an expat. If you follow a seasonal circuit for work, you're a migrant. If you wander without following a circuit, you're a nomad.
- whymauri 6y agoPeople who permanently relocate to a country for retirement or work regularly label themselves as 'ex-pats' if they are westerners.
- hnick 6y agoI always took this to mean they identify more strongly with their home country, and don't want to be mistaken as someone who is willing to fully acclimatise to the local ways. They're keeping a way out just in case. I don't know if there's a racial component but thinking about it more, people I've heard described as ex-pats are basically always white in a non-white country. I've never heard anyone use it to refer to Asian non-citizens working here in Australia for example, even if they technically meet the criteria.
- Symbiote 6y agoI've heard Indian and non-white British people use the term, and I've heard these people use it here in Denmark. I think the Indians use it through knowledge of British usage, and some British people use it in a slightly snobbish way wherever they are. "Oh, we're expats. We'll go back to England before Rupert starts school."