Expat or Immigrant ?

[SoiBiker]

Depends how you define “expat” and “immigrant”.

To me an expat is more than just a foreigner; it has overtones of professional or managerial workers of European descent in the colonial and post-colonial periods. I’ve met some guys who fit this description but none in Thailand.

An immigrant to me is an erstwhile foreigner who has obtained citizenship in a new country. I have met a few bona fide Indian immigrants in Thailand who came here decades ago to flee the mass killings during partition in northern India. I have never met a person of European descent (farang) who has Thai citizenship, though I know there are a few.

But words have actual definitions, not ones we make up as we choose.

An expat is someone who lives outside their home country. No more, no less.

[IMA_FARANG]

I won't refer to myself as either. I am here on a temporary stay until I feel like returning to America. I don't know when that will be quite yet.

----------------------------

Exactly what I say.

With the possible exception that I do not expect to return to the U.S (except possibly as a corpse (to be buried there?).

However I am not an immigrant, because I have no desire to immigrate to Thailand and become a "citizen" or "permanent resident" of Thailand.

Not that I have any particular dislike for either the U.S. or Thailand.

In fact I am, in my mind, neither an "expat" or an "immigrant", that's just semantics.

In my mind I am neither, I am just a ME, and I happen to reside wherever I happen to reside.

So, I guess you could say I'm really neither one ..... I am and always will be a ME first of all.

I left the U.S. when I was 18 years old and Uncle Sam decoded he needed me to fight for him in Vietnam..

That was 50 years ago now, and I'm still a ME, living as best I can wherever I happen to reside.

I see no particular reason to change that now.

[wow64]

I like the article and consider myself an expat haha. Where do they come up with this crap... Bloody immigrants.

Sent from my c64

[marko kok prong]

I consider myself an exile,as much though i would like to return to Australia,due to my ex witch there i dare not,as she would try again to cripple me financially,after a serious spinal injury, i can no longer work,while i do like some aspects of Thailand,the heat and garbage,and lack of empty space are a downside,the upside is i do not have a crazed demon pursuing me for my last 10 cents,so for me Exile.

[marko kok prong]

Hello ,Phutoie 2 noticed you were browsing the forum,good day at the new bar yesterday,Sorry off topic ,apologies.

[tom07]

Depends how you define “expat” and “immigrant”.

To me an expat is more than just a foreigner; it has overtones of professional or managerial workers of European descent in the colonial and post-colonial periods. I’ve met some guys who fit this description but none in Thailand.

An immigrant to me is an erstwhile foreigner who has obtained citizenship in a new country. I have met a few bona fide Indian immigrants in Thailand who came here decades ago to flee the mass killings during partition in northern India. I have never met a person of European descent (farang) who has Thai citizenship, though I know there are a few.

But words have actual definitions, not ones we make up as we choose.

An expat is someone who lives outside their home country. No more, no less.

What you say is true as far as it goes, but it doesn’t really go very far…most words are subject to different meanings depending on a variety of factors…. I’ll just give 2 examples, specifically regarding the word “expat”.

I have met one or two of the original colonial-type expats (not in Thailand). They would describe themselves as expats, but definitely would not consider themselves to be in the same class of people as 99% of the farangs who live in Thailand, whom they would probably describe as tourists at best (including those on longer term visas). This may in part be due to snobbery, but it’s mainly due to the process known as semantic change.

The writer of the original article clearly sees the term expat as overlaid with all sorts of socio-cultural, political and historical meanings, mostly negative, which many readers of this forum would not.

Edited January 25, 2015 by tom07

[Soutpeel]

Depends how you define “expat” and “immigrant”.

To me an expat is more than just a foreigner; it has overtones of professional or managerial workers of European descent in the colonial and post-colonial periods. I’ve met some guys who fit this description but none in Thailand.

An immigrant to me is an erstwhile foreigner who has obtained citizenship in a new country. I have met a few bona fide Indian immigrants in Thailand who came here decades ago to flee the mass killings during partition in northern India. I have never met a person of European descent (farang) who has Thai citizenship, though I know there are a few.

A legal immigrant technically speaking is some who has legal right of abode in country, so unless some has acquired PR in Thailand your not an immigrant

[neverdie]

Depends how you define expat and immigrant.

To me an expat is more than just a foreigner; it has overtones of professional or managerial workers of European descent in the colonial and post-colonial periods. Ive met some guys who fit this description but none in Thailand.

An immigrant to me is an erstwhile foreigner who has obtained citizenship in a new country. I have met a few bona fide Indian immigrants in Thailand who came here decades ago to flee the mass killings during partition in northern India. I have never met a person of European descent (farang) who has Thai citizenship, though I know there are a few.

A legal immigrant technically speaking is some who has legal right of abode in country, so unless some has acquired PR in Thailand your not an immigrant

I think expatriate temporarily living in Thailand is the better option. Even if you think your permanently here.

[Soutpeel]

Depends how you define expat and immigrant.

To me an expat is more than just a foreigner; it has overtones of professional or managerial workers of European descent in the colonial and post-colonial periods. Ive met some guys who fit this description but none in Thailand.

An immigrant to me is an erstwhile foreigner who has obtained citizenship in a new country. I have met a few bona fide Indian immigrants in Thailand who came here decades ago to flee the mass killings during partition in northern India. I have never met a person of European descent (farang) who has Thai citizenship, though I know there are a few.

A legal immigrant technically speaking is some who has legal right of abode in country, so unless some has acquired PR in Thailand your not an immigrant

I think expatriate temporarily living in Thailand is the better option. Even if you think your permanently here.

I live and work here and don't see myself anything more than a temporary resident

[EmptyHead]

I'm an alien.

[Soutpeel]

I'm an alien.

And of course there is that technically correct definition as well

[geronimo]

Which one would you consider yourself ?

Article is not Thailand specific but those of us living here should be able to relate.

http://www.siliconafrica.com/dont-call-them-expats-they-are-immigrants-like-everyone-else/

I am an immigrant of the world and an expat too!

[uptheos]

Having spent my entire adult life here in Thailand, expat doesn’t seem to cover it. I guess I am closer to an immigrant as this is my home.

Having been here a long time, you might be closer to an immigrant in your eyes, but in reality you're not.

Unless of course your visa status says differently.

[Jingthing]

I'm an alien.

On a good day, I like to consider myself a surreal-gal alien.

[villagefarang]

This kind of topic seems to bring out the semantics and definition police. The question, however, was “Which one would you consider yourself?”, not what does your visa say. I am pretty certain no one else can speak for me or tell me what I consider myself.

My experience in Thailand has been so different from the other foreigners I have met that I am reluctant to choose one term or the other but I still say that on a scale with expat at one end and immigrant at the other, I am closer to being an immigrant.

[samran]

Immigrant is such a dirty word back where may people here come from that the last thing they want to be called is the 'i' word. It wreaks of nasty shut off ghettos of strange people who refuse to learn the language and make no effort to fit in. They ignore that the trials and tribulations that they post on Thai visa are typical immigrant stories.

'Expat' gives one higher status (in their eyes) and they run to the convineient excuse that they are on a 'non- immigrant' visa which they forget has long ago died when their extension of stay was granted, presumably at their local non-immigration office.

To my mind the only people who can probably be called an expat people on temp job posting with the full expectation of moving on in 3 to 5 years.

Those who come under their own steam are more easily defined as immigrants, particularly if they have been here for more than a few years and are married and more or less settled.

[n210mp]

On another thread I mentioned the lack of real friends and I was mainly talking about the ExPat community in Pattaya.

Where Farangs are concerned I will always feel that I am an ExPat whilst living in Pattaya even with the great and friendly set of ExPats that I play golf with and with whom I bike

When I am with my Thai family or close Thai friends I feel as though I am at home wherever home is at that time and if one is to follow that logic then I appear to consider myself in another category, Not ExPat, not Alien, not immigrant

I am sorry CC for not answering your question within the parameters that you have set but I felt that there would, may be an other option to consider

[tom07]

On another thread I mentioned the lack of real friends and I was mainly talking about the ExPat community in Pattaya.

Where Farangs are concerned I will always feel that I am an ExPat whilst living in Pattaya even with the great and friendly set of ExPats that I play golf with and with whom I bike

When I am with my Thai family or close Thai friends I feel as though I am at home wherever home is at that time and if one is to follow that logic then I appear to consider myself in another category, Not ExPat, not Alien, not immigrant

I am sorry CC for not answering your question within the parameters that you have set but I felt that there would, may be an other option to consider

Touche, u really have hit it.

[simon43]

I'm here for 12 years, family, business, no plans to return to the UK. So I consider myself an immigrant, even though my visa (5-year Thailand Elite) says otherwise.

Perhaps more importantly, my local Thai community assume that I now have Thai citizenship, because I've successfully integrated (except for the rancid crab somtam bit)

I'd go for citizenship, but there seems to be no category for twice-happily-divorced-from-Thai-partners.

Edited January 25, 2015 by simon43

[Thongkorn]

shall we cut to the nitty gritty , how about sex tourist, move to thailand because you can get away with what you cannot in your own country. before the flaming starts Not ALL people move to Thailand because of the sex Trade.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Immigrant to me implies intent to remain, whether as a permanent resident or not. I would guess that 80% of us that are married intend to stay ?

Your intentions are irrelevant.

Immigrants get citizenship and a passport, you will get neither (well 99.99% of you anyway).

Edited January 25, 2015 by AnotherOneAmerican

[StreetCowboy]

Illegal immigrants are immigrants as well. Their visa is irrelevant.

Personally, I am an expatriate. There were plenty of expatriates who viewed themselves as such even though they may have had no intention to return to their home country, but sought to maintain their nationality despite their country of residence.

To what extent do you maintain your loyalty to your 'Motherland'? To what extent do you seek to mould your new environment to your ideal?

I think these are relevant points to consider when you answer the OP's question

SC

[YeahSiam]

shall we cut to the nitty gritty , how about sex tourist, move to thailand because you can get away with what you cannot in your own country. before the flaming starts Not ALL people move to Thailand because of the sex Trade.

As far as that aspect is concerned, it's got more to do with

what you can afford than it does with what you can get away with.

[AZBill]

American

[zierf1]

Long term tourist.

[Soutpeel]

American

Good example of all being immigrant's

[Rooo]

Moved to expat forum.

[Morakot]

'A more current interpretation of the term “expat” has more to do with privilege. Expats are free to roam between countries and cultures, privileges not afforded to those considered immigrants or migrant workers'. http://blogs.wsj.com/expat/2014/12/29/in-hong-kong-just-who-is-an-expat-anyway/

[Beetlejuice]

An Immigrant of any country is a foreign individual who has emigrated from his/her own country and become a citizen of another country.

I have lived in Thailand for 31 years and have never considered myself as an immigrant and have never told anyone that I have immigrated to Thailand. I am no more than a glorified tourist a foreigner given extended permission to remain in Thailand on a yearly basis. Those who believe just because they have resided in Thailand for the long term that it makes them almost an immigrant are living in cloud cuckoo land. We have no statutory rights here and kept firmly under the thumb by our hosts. In fact us so-called ex-pats have no more freedom and are under more or less the same restrictions as any tourist visiting for a two week vacation.

[n210mp]

An Immigrant of any country is a foreign individual who has emigrated from his/her own country and become a citizen of another country.

I have lived in Thailand for 31 years and have never considered myself as an immigrant and have never told anyone that I have immigrated to Thailand. I am no more than a glorified tourist a foreigner given extended permission to remain in Thailand on a yearly basis. Those who believe just because they have resided in Thailand for the long term that it makes them almost an immigrant are living in cloud cuckoo land. We have no statutory rights here and kept firmly under the thumb by our hosts. In fact us so-called ex-pats have no more freedom and are under more or less the same restrictions as any tourist visiting for a two week vacation.

And really BJ its a very sad indictment of the way that the Thai government view that Geneva convention on human rights. with regard to Spouses, children Etc