Brexit...

[Fjell]

It is a legal distinction for temporary workers in a very large number of countries, regardless of the name. 4-5 years is pretty common, then you have to apply again. Australia for instance uses 4 years. Hence a ?posting? for staff is often 4 years in a lot of companies. And given the extra costs of doing so, pay tends to be considerably above the same job locally. It is actually hard to get people to do it these days due the impact on partners in particular. The traditional husband with trailing wife died a death in the 90?s. For many couples it is value negative. You end up with with a lot of commuting, and I can tell you flying to Miri every month isn?t the cheerful thought you might think it should be.

 

[JoshW]

I've always been a little confused by this phrase "expats".  I presume it just refers to British nationals who choose to live and work abroad?  When foreign nationals choose to live and work abroad they are referred to as immigrants.  Expats are just immigrants aren't they?

Technically wouldn't brits in other countries be classed as emigrants to us (still in the UK), but immigrants to the countries they've moved to no?

 

[Fjell]

I've always been a little confused by this phrase "expats".  I presume it just refers to British nationals who choose to live and work abroad?  When foreign nationals choose to live and work abroad they are referred to as immigrants.  Expats are just immigrants aren't they?

Technically wouldn't brits in other countries be classed as emigrants to us (still in the UK), but immigrants to the countries they've moved to no?

It is more useful to consider immigration as an open-ended move, possibly for ever. There is a big legal difference in most places. The UK doesn?t do this, so it confuses people.

More usefully if you want to work abroad for a while, it is way easier if you go on a time-limited basis. Australia for instance. The only requirement is a job. Because they know you will leave in 4 years, and you also have to leave if you are made redundant.

I have never been in a country as easy to get to stay in as the UK.

 

[JoshW]

I've always been a little confused by this phrase "expats".  I presume it just refers to British nationals who choose to live and work abroad?  When foreign nationals choose to live and work abroad they are referred to as immigrants.  Expats are just immigrants aren't they?

Technically wouldn't brits in other countries be classed as emigrants to us (still in the UK), but immigrants to the countries they've moved to no?

It is more useful to consider immigration as an open-ended move, possibly for ever. There is a big legal difference in most places. The UK doesn?t do this, so it confuses people.

expats are a subset of immigrants/emigrants, defined by specific rules in some places, but at the very basic level, by being someone who has moved permanently or semi-permanently to another country they are an immigrant/emigrant, it's just much easier for the rags to distinguish between skin colour by using expats and immigrants!

 

[mikem]

Dictionary definition of im/emigrants is on a permanent basis, whereas expat isn't.

 

[JoshW]

Dictionary definition of im/emigrants is on a permanent basis, whereas expat isn't.

good point well made.. guess I need to go back to year 9 Geography  :spank:

 

[Fjell]

A cluster of expats, all of them. I do sometimes wonder if people in this country really grasp the reality of the rest of the world these days. It?s about what you can do. It?s been like that for a while.

 

[ChrisJC]

good point well made.. guess I need to go back to year 9 Geography  :spank:

A shred of evidence of political bias there JoshW !

Chris.

 

[mikem]

Although historically it also meant someone who'd been exiled

 

[JoshW]

good point well made.. guess I need to go back to year 9 Geography  :spank:

A shred of evidence of political bias there JoshW !

Chris.

Don't think I've particularly hidden it, only takes a brief look at my twitter/facebook and frankly most posts on here, to see that I lean left..

And not entirely sure that anything I've said in this thread leans towards political bias other than slating a certain section of a media..