What type of expat or emigrant are you?

What type of expat or emigrant?

Expats and emigrants have long since ceased to be only the agriculturists of the past: self-employed workers, hairdressers, nurses, physiotherapists, ict experts, pensionados, etc. also leave for long stays abroad these days, or emigrate. Aside from the question of whether “emigration” may always be permanent or also temporary, there are several types of expats and emigrants, such as:

• the deployed expat; think also of diplomats, journalists, professors, soccer players. Also called the “foreign assignee”: the employer sends out his employee for an (un)definite period of time.
• the self-employed expat: someone who finds their own job abroad. Also called the 'career expat'.
• the invited expat: someone who is invited by a local employer for a job. Also called the 'foreign recruitee'.
• the cross-border worker
• the second-home owner
• the young senior snowbird
• the seasonal worker
• the traveling spouse: the wife or husband who travels along because the partner got a job abroad.
• the romantic emigrant: someone who moves abroad for love, a (new) relationship.
• the family emigrant: someone who moves to another country mainly for family reasons (bringing the family together again, living closer to the family).
• the destination expat: someone who specifically wants to live in one particular destination, often out of love for that country. Finding work at that destination is then often a follow-up goal, but not the main reason. Also called the 'single destination expat'.
• the 'somewhere else is better' emigrant: someone who -by emigrating- seeks a better quality of life. Also called the 'greener pastures expat': elsewhere the grass is (probably) greener.
• a special group are the world travelers, also called 'globetrotters'.
  • There is actually emigration without permanent residence in one specific country. A passport full of contiguous visas, foreign ATM withdrawals, temporary import/export proofs, doctor and dentist visits abroad, long-term stays in countries with friendly visa policies: it makes it possible to be away for years at a time.
  • (Daily) life takes place outside the former country of residence. Only a bank account, a passport and travel/health insurance provide ties to the original country of residence.
• An additional group that often is not officially registered as an emigrant is called the 'semigrant'
  • These are people who live partly abroad and partly in their regular country of residence. Think again of the snowbirds, those who have a second home abroad and the self-employed who -as digital nomads- carry out part of their assignments abroad.

What is the non-expat/emigrant: 'the commuter'?

• A type of “non-expat/emigrant” that is growing in number and is increasingly being referred to as “the commuter”: the employee who frequently crosses the border to supervise a project, but keeps the regular country of residence as his or her home base. They usually do not take their families abroad.
• Companies respond to this type by more frequently offering short-term assignments (usually 3 to 18 months abroad), or working with virtual assignments (exchange of knowledge and experience via ICT combined with short business trips).
• Yet, in practice, commuting often leads to premature termination of assignments; adapting and effectively doing business or achieving project results in the foreign environment proves difficult if you return to your home country during weekends, vacations, etc. Also, leaving partner and children behind often causes (too) much stress.

More and more attention is being paid to issues experienced by the 'remigrant': someone who has lived abroad for some time, but has returned to the home country.

What distinctions do you encounter when applying for visas?

Especially when applying for visas, you come across many types of migrants. Some countries have dozens of subvisa.

The most important, which you often encounter:

• family migrants: when you have a demonstrable long-term relationship with someone from the emigration country, who can sponsor you
• skilled migrants: when you have a professional education, specific skills, knowledge and work experience (often supplemented by local family, substantial assets and sufficient work opportunities in the country)
• business migrants: when you have demonstrably and successfully run your own business and will also start your own business in your country of emigration and have sufficient capital or want to invest in government projects.
• humanitarian migrants: if you have had to leave your own country as a refugee because of war, ethnic conflicts or human rights violations
• youth migrants: if you are a young person and want to study, work and/or travel in the country concerned
• retirement migrants: if you wish to settle as a pensioner in the country concerned. Often with additional requirements regarding assets, investments and health.