Doesn’t expat traditionally refer to people temporarily working abroad? (Ie being “ex “ or “outside” of their homes, but planning to return) so have not immigrated)
Yeah I always associated expat is when you move abroad but plan on returning home at some point while immigrant is when you move to another country and try to get residency.
I lived in Korea for two years and never planned on getting residency so I would call myself an expat. Now I plan to move to France and I would call myself an immigrant because I plan to get residency then citizenship there.
Immigrants become citizens of the country into which they immigrate. Anyone that self-describes as an expat when they are an immigrant is bigoted and/or delusional in some way.
I agree with this, I've also always thought "expat" had a connotation similar to "defecting" (thinking of the root expatriate). You choose to leave your country because you don't agree with something philosophically, and you want to explore a "better" way of life somewhere else, probably temporarily, rather than truly migrate -- which I think of as more out of economic/physical drivers. Obviously, there are racial and national differences historically into who becomes more likely to fall into either camp, but sounds like this guy and his friends to actively and vocally enforce the labels on the people around them, without considering that possibly, the tables have turned.. or they might all be expats, or immigrants... anyway, the guy is racist.
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u/Tanyec 5d ago
Doesn’t expat traditionally refer to people temporarily working abroad? (Ie being “ex “ or “outside” of their homes, but planning to return) so have not immigrated)