Most expats are white. That said, the term can be extended to other wealthy people – black, Arab and Asian – who speak English well and have professional jobs with white friends who include them in their social circles. africans? Sorry no.

So what exactly is the difference between expats, immigrants, and migrants? The answer is practically nothing, except the elitist perception of the term.

What are the definitions?

Immigrants are defined as those who move to another country and plan to stay. Think of the people crammed into a ship trying to get to Europe. Or the refugees from Syria who walk through the snow on the Canadian border to escape the United States before being deported. “They” don’t want to go back to where they came from. And they” are often perceived as poor, uneducated and desperate.

Expats, on the other hand, have status. They may be married to a local or have plans to start a business. And, yes, they take jobs that might otherwise go to a national.

How about the migrants? They are people who move from one place to another in search of work. The migrants are the Mexicans who pick fruit in California and then cross the border again, the nannies from the Philippines who have work contracts, or the workers from Saudi Arabia who return to Thailand when their manual skills are no longer needed.

Expats, however, go from one contract to another in different countries or return “home” with a good bank balance.

In short, being an expat is desirable, exciting and attractive. Being an immigrant or migrant is not.

Why should I worry about that?

The problems of prejudice, discrimination, classism, sexism and racism must be exposed at all levels.

When I went to work at the University of Waikato as a professor, for example, I was not an immigrant. Instead, I was simply a Canadian who had moved to New Zealand.

When I crossed into Australia, I had a “permanent visa” stamped on my New Zealand passport at customs.

In both countries, I mixed with people, many of whom came from England or other European countries. We never refer to or think of ourselves as expats, immigrants, or immigrants. Why should we have? We lived in cultures that didn’t question us because we were white.

Historically, most people in North America, Australia, and New Zealand were economic immigrants or migrant workers. However, when they took over the countries, they did not invite indigenous peoples, black people, or Mexicans to join them. Instead, they marginalized these people. So even if a Mexican family has lived in the United States for a couple of generations, they are still considered and treated as immigrants.

What is my situation?

I am a migrant who wants to be an immigrant in Colombia. Since I left Australia at the end of 2008 I have lived in Morocco, Chile, Argentina, Cambodia, Colombia and Peru. The time periods vary from four to 18 months. I support myself in teaching and writing. Although I prefer the latter to the former, we are all prostitutes when it comes to work. But that is a topic for another article.

I currently live in Medellin, where the locals refer to me as the boston gringa – The name of neighborhood – since there are no other foreigners here. Or if there are, they are hidden.

Although I want to become an immigrant, the visa rules make the process difficult as I can only stay in the country for 180 days per calendar year as a tourist. The options to change my status are limited. The first is to marry a local. Even though several friends volunteered, it could get messy and there’s no absolute guarantee.

The second option is to invest 200KUSD – cough, cough – and start a business or buy real estate. Another possibility is to pay outrageously expensive tuition and study Spanish for five years at an approved university. The least attractive option is teaching 48 hours a week for ridiculously low wages at a school that will help English speakers get visas.

In the other countries, the rule for migrants like me was that I had to leave the country every 90 days and then re-enter. The exception was Cambodia, where I could have stayed forever and a travel agency could have arranged my visa for a year at a time.

When I lived in Morocco, for example, I once crossed the border at Ceuta at the entry line and then walked to the exit line. He had only been out of the country for 15 minutes, but that was enough for a 90-day stamp.

But the only reason I could do it was because I was white and considered an expat. Immigrants and migrants from Africa did not receive the same treatment and were often rejected.

Whats Next?

In general, I avoid people who call themselves expats. However, from time to time I will attend an InterNations event to remind myself why I don’t do it more often.

From now on, when I meet Westerners, I am going to ask them if they are immigrants or emigrants.

I suspect the investigation will not be very well received as it questions the romantic illusion of “living the dream”.

If you agree that the word expat should be dropped, feel free to use the question. It may start some people thinking about bridging the gap between “them” and “us.” And in the end we are all either “immigrants” or “migrants”.