Expatriate vs immigrant

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Grammarist

Expatriate refers to someone living outside his native country. Expatriate may be used as an adjective, noun or verb. Derived forms are expatriates, expatriated, expatriating, expatriation, the noun form of expatriate is sometimes abbreviated as expat. Originally, an expatriate was someone exiled from his home country, derived from the mid-1700s French word expatrier, meaning banish. The term expatriate carries the connotation that the person in question will one day return to his country of origin, or at least wishes to one day return to his country of origin.

An immigrant is a person who leaves his home and travels to another country in order to become a permanent member of the population. An immigrant is making a permanent change to his residency, with no plan to return to his country of origin or wish to return to his country of origin. The word immigrant comes from the Latin word immigrantem meaning to remove, to move in. Related words are immigrates, immigrated, immigrating, immigration.

Examples

How Hong Kong’s expatriate communities keep Christmas traditions alive far from home (The South China Morning Post)

I listen to schoolchildren sing the UAE national anthem, and it’s clear that most of the expatriate children have no idea what the words mean. (The National)

The minister of labour and employment has lamented abuse of expatriate quota by foreigners saying adding that there are jobs that are meant for Nigerians but have been hijacked by foreigners. (Leadership Newspapers)

But for Australian expat Joanne Brooker, a bold brow, a plump lip, a birthmark or a signature smile form the basis of her art. (The Doha News)

Miami-based immigrant rights activists have denounced plans by federal immigration authorities to detain and deport unauthorized foreign nationals, including those who have received final removal orders in the last two years. (The Miami Herald)

As many as one-half of Albany immigrant students are from the Burmese community of Karen, whose families have been relocated from refugee camps. (The Albany Times Union)