What is the difference between Immigrant and Expat..
I am an Immigrant. I was an Expat at first, but I settled, got Australian Citizenship and became an Immigrant.
There may be some confusion over the definition of the word: Expat
expat – a person who is voluntarily absent from home or country;
expat – a person temporarily or permanently residing, as an immigrant, in a country other than that of their citizenship
expat – a person taking up residency in another country.
Expat or Immigrant
I treat Expat to mean someone living and working overseas for a while, but planning on returning home one day.
An Immigrant is one who moves his/her home to a new country.
A Brit, Singaporean, Filipino etc., working in Australia but planning on returning to his home country is an Expat.
A Brit, Singaporean, Filipino etc., who intends to get, or has got, Australian citizenship is an Immigrant.
There are many British expats, as so many do intend to go home one day, even if they also hold Dual Citizenship. They still call Britain HOME… expat: a person who lives outside their home country.
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