What is an Expatriate?

Knowing what is an expatriate is very important, especially for those who travel to different countries for work purposes. Expatriate can be anyone which chooses to live in a country other than the motherland. An expatriate is actually a citizen of a Western nation who decides to live in a non-Western country like South America, Africa or Asia.

Someone who lives in different country other than the country where he/she is a legal citizen is considered as an expatriate, though this term is less frequently used. To be more precise, an expatriate cannot be misunderstood with an immigrant. Immigrant is the one who decides to stay on another country permanently whereas; an expatriate just go to another country for short period of time. Immigrants plan to live in a new country for their lifetime by retaining a citizenship after years.

Expatriates often create their own communities in their new host countries. There are areas that are commonly found popular with expatriates such as South-East Asia and Africa. There are cafes and hotels where services are offered specifically for the needs of local expatriate community. Even government of the country helps the expatriates by encouraging them with decent flow of assets or by offering a steady source of income to stabilize their financial base.

Sometimes, expatriates are looked negatively by citizens of the native country and the citizens of the country where they plan to live further. Some call them negative force in their own land as they often do not pay tax, not a part of the armed forces, or may not entirely blend themselves into local culture.

Most often their community is tolerated and encouraged by the third-world countries. Also they expand the tourist industry of the country which they choose to live. They act as a mediator between local culture and tourists. Today, almost every country on the globe has a sizeable expatriate community, since many people find it comfortable to move to another country permanently or for a specific time period. Many expatriate communities even have local meeting places or communities where they share their contacts and tips.