Tag: expat

There is a growing number of expats.

An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either independently or sent abroad by their employers. However, the term ‘expatriate’ is also used for retirees and others who have chosen to live outside their native country. Historically, it has also referred to exiles.
Expatriates are immigrants or emigrants who maintain cultural ties such as the language of their country of origin.
Dictionary definitions for the current meaning of the word include:

Expatriate:
’A person who lives outside their native country’ (Oxford), or
’living in a foreign land’ (Webster’s).
These definitions contrast with those of other words with a similar meaning, such as:
Migrant:
’A person who moves from one place to another in order to find work or better living conditions’ (Oxford), or
’one that migrates: such as a: a person who moves regularly in order to find work especially in harvesting crops’ (Webster’s);
or
Immigrant
’A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country’ (Oxford), or
’one that immigrates: such as a: a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence (Webster’s).