What do you consider the difference between expats and working foreigners to be?

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  1. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by climber07:
    I may have gone too far with the "learned how to dress themselves" comment
    The "walking upright" bit may be a bit of a stretch too. Especially on the weekend nights.

  2. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by Swell:
    To me, an expat conjures up images of a person who was seconded or hired from overseas and command 'expat' benefits such as high salary, housing, home leave allowance, education fees for the kids, etc.
    Just my 2 cents worth...
    As I stated, that's pretty much how my company classifies expats from local employees ... it has nothing to do with ethnicity whatsoever.

  3. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by Swell:
    What about overseas born and bred Chinese now living/working in HK with no visa requirements? They are neither native, local or expat then.
    If they do not have a HK passport then these overseas Chinese might indeed be considered 'expats' until the time they chose to get a HK or Chinese passport.

  4. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by PDLM:
    I have not taken Chinese nationality, but I am not on a work visa, nor am I a tourist or an illegal immigrant. I do have a vote (for what it's worth). Am I an expat?
    My case is similar to PDLM (although I am not confused). I am not an expat (never been one) for the simple reason that I migrated here (or to Asia in general).

    Also I agree with Axel, to me expats means package more than anything. Expats are easy to spot because they have an extra zero to their yearly salary among other things.

    I also understand that GeoExpat was not designed to entertain the happy few but more the general crowd of people "not from here". Yet, I don't think KIA would have called the site "GeoGweilo" or something like that.

    I also agree w HKChigger most HK people are not real HK people because their ancestral roots are elsewhere. The same thing applies to all the Taiwanese I know in HK. They are not real Taiwanese, they are the children of the KMT people but that's an another matter.
    Last edited by philippe; 15-06-2007 at 03:16 PM.

  5. #35

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    [QUOTE=philippe;161746]
    Also I agree with Axel, to me expats means package more than anything. Expats are easy to spot because they have an extra zero to their yearly salary among other things.

    I am definitely an expat - my organisation sent me here on a two year contract since extended. However, unfortunately they forgot the extra zero, perhaps I should remind them in case it just slipped their minds?


  6. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by climber07:
    Just because we have preconceived stereotypes of what and "expat" should be, doesn't make it so.
    I agree we shouldn't stereotype, but nevertheless there is an image associated with an expat, be it wealth, job seniority or superiority, hence this discussion.

    Look at the arguments/views presented so far: why is a filipina maid not an expat, why is a mainlander not an expat in HK when they also have visa restrictions when visiting or working in HK.

    As Texasaxel states, his HR classifies all non-overseas hires regardless of nationality as locals. This mirrors my experience from the various companies that I have worked for whilst in HK, that expats are hired from overseas and enjoy an expat package.

  7. #37

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    To be blatantly honest and not trying to be racist, my initial image of an expat is a.... european, anglo saxon, white person, whatever you want to call them, working overseas for the experience, money, need of the company. We have many british migrated to Australia and they are never considered expat as they chose to move here for a better life. I guess if you take up citizenship then you are no longer an expat???


  8. #38
    Quote Originally Posted by pkrs:
    I guess if you take up citizenship then you are no longer an expat???
    Correct. If you assume the citizenship of your adopted home than that becomes your new patria so you are no longer ex-patria you are an 'inpat'.

  9. #39

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    As a third generation expat, I would say an expat is quite simply someone living temporarily in a country that is not their own.


  10. #40

    There have been some comments that somehow the term 'expat' implies 'superiority' or is even racist. As I previously stated if it is used in the 'corporate' sense, racism does not come into play.

    However, in a social sense, it might be considered racist to call long-term non-Chinese residents 'expats'. While the term 'expat' is usually positively connotated, implying that merely by someone's ethnicity that person does not really belong here or is not really a Hong Kong local is racist because it implies that one must be Chinese to be a fully-accepted Hong Kong local. Hong Kong has had a non-Chinese population since it was founded as a town in the 19th century and just because it is virtually impossible for a non-Chinese to become a citizen, does not mean automatically that non-Chinese long-term residents are 'expats'.