to hate the term 'ex-pat'?

[manicinsomniac]

I know this is a trivial first world gripe. I'm just making it anyway

I cannot stand the word. Why do (generally) white, (usually) affluent Brits get to be ex-pats while other people looking for a (presumably) better life elsewhere get stuck with the (now seen negatively) word 'immigrant'.

To me it just seems like British people who move abroad somehow think they're better or more worthy of their move than other people who do it.

I realise the word has historical context but that no longer applies.

AIBU to think that ex-pats should just be called immigrants like everyone else? Immigration isn't a bad thing. Requiring a different word sort of makes it seem like it is.

I live in a foreign country, teach in an international school (my children attend it & are very happy) & love where we live.

However: I have no intention of settling here permanently & very much doubt dc will.

If I married a citizen of the country/bought property/applied for citizenship or permanent residence I would probably think of myself as an immigrant.

For me, 'expat' as in 'ex patria = outside of my homeland' probably defines how I feel about my situation...it's a long term but ultimately temporary thing.

Definitely don't feel superior to the local population & certainly wouldn't be rude about them; integrating not realistically possible, though.

I absolutely wouldn't object to being called an immigrant, but would feel I hadn't 'earned it' & wasn't that enterprising or integrated.

I have positive mental associations around immigration, having lived generally in diverse areas within the UK. Can quite see how the distinction between 'I am a white Brit expat' v 'she is a brown forrin immigrant' is often used in a discriminatory way as OP describes though.

Well, I arrived in the UK some 23+ years ago, planning on staying 6 months… that did not go to plan
Never considered myself an expat though, even if I had returned to my home country as I was fully immersed in the local community from the very start. Now? I've totally gone native.

'Going native' was of course a very prerogative thing to say about any expat because it usually meant they had got involved with a local woman (expats being white and male, natch).

I always thought ex-pats were people working abroad temporarily and were only "ex-pats" as far as their country of origin was concerned. Someone going permanently overseasoverseas would be an"emigrant" and whichever case they come to under, as far as the country they are working is concerned they would be an "immigrant".

As per stealthbananas post I believe there's a big difference in the implied /intended timeframe of the stay. Ex patriate focuses on temporary stay away from the motherland IMHO; emigrant implies one who has exited for good. Different meanings, and with that different implications for social integration

So where does that put the British pensioners who live on the Spanish costas. I've generally seen them described as ex-pats. On the whole they don't tend to integrate with locals, don't speak the language and have a network of shops and bars to cater to them. Yet generally they live there full time.

And why scrap the name you think as more positive connotations? Why not call the poor nuggets crossing the Med "ex-pats" as well?

Nuggets? Buggers!

We could draw some Venn diagram about how the terms 'emigrant', 'migrant', ex-pat, bloody forriner, immigrant etc etc overlap and differ

Sorry
I'm off to bed.

Yet generally they live there full time.

Generally, they come back to the UK when they need the NHS

pacific Health tourists then?

like Dylan well I'd assume if they out there for keeps they are emigrants whether they or anyone else likes it or not

I certainly consider myself an immigrant of Australia, full integration got citizenship etc. But living somewhere temporarily for work now and am most definitely an expat.I've never felt superior to the locals in any of the several countries I've lived.....in fact where I am now I feel quite inferior as a British person.

I agree globe but it is interesting that the Pint of Carling and a Fry up for breakfast brigade on the Costas are seen in the media and describe themselves as expats rather than emigrants.

It defies the neat expat - temporarily abroad emigrant - permanently settled distinction.

The temporary vs permanent thing does make sense. But yeah, the pensioner retirement abroad sort of negates that.

I don't know, I'm sure it's a valid term, it just winds me up. I suppose, as a pp said, it comes down to the negative connotations the media encourages people to attach to the word immigrant. If those weren't there then I might not be bothered by the use of ex pat.

I think it's partly about where you call home and how you identify. I'm an English emigrant to Canada, and not a British expat. We've been here eight years and are waiting until we can apply to be citizens. The UK is no longer home. My children are more Canadian than English now, but we are in a bit more of an in between state as first generation immigrants (technically so are our children but they don't really remember life in England any more and feel home sick when we visit).

I've not really come across any expat communities in Canada but when we were in the States for a while we socialised with some, and they were very keen on being seen as British, celebrated British holidays, imported British food and actively sought out British people to socialise (like us!). It was a bit odd really, but obviously important to them. I think it's more common in countries that have more alien cultures and where permanently settling is very difficult.

I'm currently a British expat until my term limit comes and our permanent residence is approved.
We plan to stay here long term and I consider us immigrants (albeit to a UK overseas territory).

If we decide to move elsewhere, we will be defined as immigrants as opposed to expats, as I doubt we would be going for work for a defined period of time, rather we would be making a fully permanent move.

Up until earlier this year we still weren't sure if we'd be returning to the UK so only now that we've decided not to that I consider as having emigrated.

I'm currently a British expat until my term limit comes and our permanent residence is approved.
We plan to stay here long term and I consider us immigrants (albeit to a UK overseas territory).

If we decide to move elsewhere, we will be defined as immigrants as opposed to expats, as I doubt we would be going for work for a defined period of time, rather we would be making a fully permanent move.

Up until earlier this year we still weren't sure if we'd be returning to the UK so only now that we've decided not to that I consider as having emigrated.

YANBU. Regardless of length of stay, or type of employment, I have only ever seen expat used to describe white Westerners.

IME expats are usually temporarily in another country - usually for work, and immigrants are there permanently.

The years I spent in the Middle East I consider to be expat years. Now I've settled in North America I consider myself to be and immigrant.

To add, we knew quite a lot of Sri Lankans, Indians, Filipinos, Arabs (not from the country we were living in). As they were all there for work they were - like us - expats not immigrants.

I'm foreign. I arrived an expat, meaning to stay for a while, then leave. When I realised I'm not leaving the UK, I began seing myself as an immigrant. I'm home now.

I am an expat as I don't intend to live in China permanently.

I think whether you are integrated into the local community depends on where you live. I lived in Germany and Austria for 13 years and was an expat, but my children went to local schools and Kindergarten, we lived in a normal street - only foreigners in the village!
In China - my children attend an international school, not because we think we are better than the locals, but because they don't have the language ability to access the local system. Similarly we live on a gated compound - but so the do the majority of Chinese who live in cities. We are one of about a handful of foreigners in our compound - it's certainly not an enclave of rich, white westerners.
The Chinese refer to us as outsiders (literal translation of wai guo ren ) or people with long noses. My husband's work permit states that we are aliens.

I wonder if people would have a different attitude to EEA nationals or others who come here and work for a few years if they were called ex-pats rather than immigrants. It's all a matter of perception "immigrants coming here and taking our jobs" vs "ex-pats coming here and taking our jobs".

It's not only Brits who use the term, Expat. It's the generic term for anyone who is living in a different country and working professionally.

I'm no longer an expat and am now an immigrant. I don't really understand why the word, "immigrant" is so loaded nowadays. We sure as shit pay more tax than most of our friends.

I moved from Britain to the US and if anyone called me an ex pat I'd chin them. Fucking horrible expression. I'm a straight up immigrant. Stick that in your pipe and smoke Trump.

I'm living in Singapore at the moment. I have no intention of settling here (just a 1 year contract which we are half way through), the Singapore government don't allow expat children to use local schools (apart from Kindergarten) and expats are not entitled to healthcare without insurance or paying up. Neither the government or expats expect integration. In my mind, I guess, this is an expat, someone who intends to 'repat' and is a temporary guest in a country.
An immigrant would be a person planning on a long term stay and integrating with their community.