a) I’m not an American.
b) The term “immigrant” carries with it some sense of permanence that the word “expat” doesn’t. An immigrant aspires to permanent stay in the country. An expat does not.
As with most things there are blurry edges. I’ve been an expat for over 20 years, for example, which strains the bounds of this. But still, in the end, there’s a difference between someone in the country on a short term work visa (even if endlessly renewed) than someone going through the immigration procedure.
Tell that to the officials here and they’ll laugh at you. I’ll take their word for my standing over yours, thank you very much. I try not to tell the locals how things work in their country.
Yes. Well the specific term they use translates to ‘foreign resident’ (外国居民) but it’s a different word from ‘immigrant’ (移民). (The actual translation of ‘expatriate’ is 外派人员, but it’s not a word that you’ll find on official documents anywhere. Bureaucratic language is always different from common language.)
a) I’m not an American. b) The term “immigrant” carries with it some sense of permanence that the word “expat” doesn’t. An immigrant aspires to permanent stay in the country. An expat does not.
As with most things there are blurry edges. I’ve been an expat for over 20 years, for example, which strains the bounds of this. But still, in the end, there’s a difference between someone in the country on a short term work visa (even if endlessly renewed) than someone going through the immigration procedure.
If you’ve lived in a country for over two decades, own property, and run a business there then you absolutely are an immigrant.
Tell that to the officials here and they’ll laugh at you. I’ll take their word for my standing over yours, thank you very much. I try not to tell the locals how things work in their country.
You’re saying the officials call you an expat as opposed to an immigrant?
Yes. Well the specific term they use translates to ‘foreign resident’ (外国居民) but it’s a different word from ‘immigrant’ (移民). (The actual translation of ‘expatriate’ is 外派人员, but it’s not a word that you’ll find on official documents anywhere. Bureaucratic language is always different from common language.)
To sum up, the officials don’t call you an expat. Thanks for finally clarifying that.
You really are a fatuous pedant, aren’t you?
Says the guy who went on a giant rant explaining how he’s NoT aN ImMiGrAnT AcKchYualLy! 😂