Expat or immigrant?

[dylexicdementor11]

I’ve noticed that many Americans and Brits on mumsnet tend to refer to themselves as expats if they live outside of their country of origin.

So an American living in the U.K. will say that they are an expat instead of saying that they are an immigrant.
But many people from other countries are referred to as immigrants even if their stay in a host country will be temporary.

Why is that?

@murasaki ”Illegals” is a whole other discussion to “immigrants” and
“expats”. If you’re living in any country illegally, you’re breaking that country’s laws, whereas immigrants and expats have permission to be in the country.

Here in the US, some politicians deliberately to try to confuse the issue and it really annoys people who’ve legally applied and been allowed to live here.

I suspect that was the point Murasaki was making.

Perhaps @Zonder, and it’s an important distinction to make, because many people don’t realize how rigorous immigration processes are- you have to be considered an asset to a country to be allowed to stay!

Of course, many people who enter other countries illegally will also be assets to that country and immigration reform is needed to address that.

My default setting is that anyone brave enough to launch into a new country without a support network is probably worth having. It's a brave move. I did it at 24, by marriage with $600 to my name, but I had a professional job six weeks later, and a flat two weeks after that. There was never a welfare hand out, at any stage. But I have a good degree from a globally respected university, and I am very MC and thoroughly house trained. And extremely competent and efficient, quite clever, reasonably pretty, nicely spoken. Those are massive advantages.

But further to my previous post, the same rules don't apply for men. Some will be genuine emigrants, but many will have to take their chances in the black economy for the fast buck.