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The dictionary: "immigrant: a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country". Note: permanently. But expat can be temporary. So, if you haven't dec
by HappyDreamer 6y ago
The dictionary: "immigrant: a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country". Note: permanently. But expat can be temporary.
So, if you haven't decided that you'll stay permanently in the new country, but maybe instead you'll move to a 2nd new country, a 3rd and so on, then you might consider yourself an expat, but not an immigrant. At least that's how foreign students here, seem to refer to themselves: They're here for a few years, and then will probably leave, and they call themselves "expats".
And also, what about this: If you still have your identity in your home country (e.g. the culture there?), you'd think of yourself as someone from that country: "I expatriated from Home-Country". But if your identity is in the new country, then you'd think of yourself primarily as an immigrant to country New-Country?
- overscore 6y agoHistorically, it was the other way round. An immigrant only became an expatriate if they took on the citizenship of their host county. I know that expatriate can colloquially mean a person temporarily abroad, but in this context, it refers to immigrants to Spain who generally intended to stay permanently.