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.

For me ex-pats are people who tend to move abroad temporarily and don't really integrate. For example, I know a lot of people in Dubai and the ME who go for a few years, kids in international school and no intention of staying. I have lived abroad for 20 years and never refer to myself as an ex-pat so I think you are BU to complain about a term that most people don't actually use!
BTW most of the people who migrate (NOT refugees) from poorer countries are not the poorest members of that society - they tend to be the slightly better off. The really poor can't generally move - perhaps we should call them ex-pats too?

An expat in my mind is someone who is there temporarily, usually there on a work contract and has no intention is staying, putting down roots. My parents were expats in Saudi. I was born there. I have absolutely no rights to Saudi nationality and don't expect them. My parents didn't expect anything from the Saudi government in terms of rights/benefits and were expected to pay there way in terms of schooling, healthcare etc and to go home once the contract ended. Why this arrangement doesn't seem possible in the uk is beyond me.

In my mind ex-pats are economic migrants - going for a good job/more money. Most migrants would be classed as economic migrants I would say. Exceptions being migrants who are also refugees.

Somebody calls herself an expat(she isnt elderly) and has an expat community where she lives it sounds like little britain tbh surely its an emigrant community?

Somebody I know*

Is it a time you're being abroad thing? I would say that my friend who has moved to Aus is an emigrant, she has emigrated permanently, and isn't intending returning to the UK to live.

On the other hand, a man I know lives and works in Saudi, but his wife and kids still live in London and he comes back when he can. He calls himself an expat.

The only difference between the term ex pat and immigrant is skin colour. White people are called ex pats and people of colour are called immigrants. You only have to look inside the Yarls Wood immigration centre to realise that. It's not full of Americans, Australians, and white South Africans, is it?

They can call themselves what they like doesn't mean the locals will call them that.

What's the point in this thread. 'White affluent brits?' It's a bit goady. You don't have to be white or affluent to move out of this country.

and actually the Irish were called immigrants in America when many travelled there. Also the Italians.

Is this just a white British bashing thread?

Yeah, because there's NEVER been any xenophobia against the Irish, right?

Yeah, because there's NEVER been any xenophobia against the Irish, right?

Expats are a term used by the place and people they originated from. I work abroad and hear people all the time say "the Indian expat community" for example by those very Indian people. Whearas other people call them Indian exists. Same with all of us, especially in a mixed housing complex. They only people who use it for themselves and their "ilk" are retired majors in Gibraltar who write to the Daily Mail.

Not exists, nationality or group.

Bollocks about it being for white people. I will ask the people from the Indian, Phillipines and Pakistani expat associations to immediately refer to themselves as immigrants because some armchair warrior who has not been in the real world declares it. What utter shot to spout. From the UK of all places.

Did you actually just say 'people of colour?' Uck.

Only read the first page - so what's the difference between an ex-pat and an economic migrant?

An economic migrant moves from one country to another to improve their standard of living - standards in their country of origin may be quite low.
Expat is the same - but not usually associated with low standard of living in country of origin.

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

But look how many people move here temporarily, often without their families, purely to work as hard as they can, earn as much money as they can and then go home. We still call them immigrants? And a lot of people are very nasty about their presence.

Maybe they call themselves expats though, I guess. And maybe people in the countries where 'our' 'expats' go are nasty about their presence. If those two things are true then I guess I ABU. If not, I still think there's a double standard.

The ex-pats (and ex-ex-pats) that I know are/were mainly employed by British companies overseas on contracts, rather than a permanent move.

I would describe people living in a country and working for local companies an immigrant/emigrant.

Macicinsomniac - I would classify them as economic migrants, not immigrants.

What's interesting is how the UK media never refers to Brits who've left the country as emigrants - partly I suspect because it's tricky to say without being confused for immigrant, but with an undertone of "how could anyone bear to leave this country forever"

Mostly it's a simple association with planned length of time in the new country, with the only exception being people referring to Brits retiring to Spain as 'expats'.

I live in Saudi. Here, the term expat applies to anyone non-Saudi who is here for work; be they from the UK, Philippines, Pakistan or USA. The company I work for refers to us as expats and your job offer will be an "expatriate job offer". It's not used to denote colour or wealth status, it's just a label for non-natives. Of course the contents of your job offer will differ greatly depending on your nationality but that's another issue entirely and worthy of it's own post.

I have no intention of living here permanently and am only welcome as long as I remain working for my current employer. Citizenship is not an option. Full societal integration is also not feasible for a non-Muslim female.

Do those who retire in the Costas actually refer to themselves as expats or is that just the Daily Mail? If they do, then they are not using the correct label in my opinion as to me, expat implies you moved for work purposes.

What's it called if you relocate for tax purposes?