Expatriate
An expatriate (in
abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture
other than that of the person's upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex ("out of") and patria ("country, fatherland").
In its broadest sense, an expatriate is
any person living in a different country from where he is a citizen. In common
usage, the term is often used in the context of professionals sent abroad by
their companies, as opposed to locally hired staff. The differentiation found
in common usage usually comes down to socio-economic factors, so skilled
professionals working in another country are described as expatriates, whereas
a manual labourer who has moved to another country to earn more money might be
labelled an 'immigrant'. There is no set definition and usage does vary
depending on context and individual preferences and prejudices. 'Expatriation'
has also been used in a legal sense to mean 'renunciation of allegiance;' the U.S. Expatriation
Act of 1868 said in its preamble, 'the right of expatriation is a natural and
inherent right of all people, indispensable to the enjoyment of the rights of
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'
In the 19th century and early 20th
century, many Americans, numbering perhaps in the thousands, were drawn to
European cultural centers, especially Munich and Paris. The author Henry James, for instance, adopted England as his
home while Ernest Hemingway lived in Paris.
The term 'expatriate' in some countries
also has a legal context used for tax purposes. An expatriate living in a
country can receive a favourable tax treatment. In this context a person can
only be an expatriate if they move to a country other than their own to work
with the intent of returning to their home country within a certain period. The
number of years can vary per tax jurisdiction, but 5 years is the most commonly
used maximum period. If you are not affected by taxes 3 years is normally the
maximum time spent in one country.
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