Funny how expat is only ever used in reference to Westerners. I’ve never heard someone call an Asian person in the West on a temporary work visa an expat.

[–] Fleppensteijn@feddit.nl 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's strange how I've seen this exact claim before. How many expats do you know? I know a bunch of expats and there are quite a few Asian people in the expat community.

[–] dessalines@lemmy.ml 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's not super set in stone, but there are class connotations to the two terms. At least in the US, poorer people from central and south america? They're labeled migrants or immigrants. Wealthy or upper class people from europe? Expats.

[–] Fleppensteijn@feddit.nl 4 points 9 months ago

People coming over for work/business: expats.

Unemployed people migrating to look for a better life or job: (im)migrants.

That's how I understood it.

I'm kind of in between. I'm not an expat, but immigrant doesn't sound right neither. I just call myself a foreigner.