Totally agree. We've been country shopping for 3 years, enjoying life and are definitely privileged.

Hello , first time writing in your channel, from Peru. Your concepts are well presented. In my native tongue spanish, there is no similar word as "expats". There is a word as "expatriado" , but has a very different concept, it is when someone is expelled from his/her country and nationality. We have only "migrante" or "inmigrante" what means the same. So I learned about "expats" when visited online website as yours.

this was very educating and very well said! I was confused on “expats” and why they’re in different countries- such as Ecuador. i enjoy your videos keep up your great work. I admire your recognition to your privilege and how you stay respectful at all times

expats! Moving to EC. Hope not to have to leave, , go , again. Its a lovely country. Lets hope we expats can bring enough to help keep them moving ahead. Be strong, EC. Great analogy. Love your videos. Thanks.

Great subject, we've gone back and forth on this very subject but we typically use the term expat. You explained it pretty perfectly Jess!

Love the videos! Keep the content coming 👍

Excellent video. I've lived in Ecuador for around 30 years. I consider myself an expat also. I still maintain my permanent address in the States and carry a U.S. passport. I feel more at home in Ecuador, but I'm not Ecuadorian. And I know expats of multiple nationalities and countries. It's not just a white North American thing.

As an expat, immigrant, gringo, I would posit that both the denotative and connotative senses of the terms are nuanced. I would say that "digital nomad" is an outlier, as they are typically people who are employed in their home country while living elsewhere. I just realized (I'm a bit slow on the uptake.) that another category would be "digital immigrant" - one who lives in their home country while working "in" another - as when one calls a customer service number from Minneapolis and speaks with someone in Mumbai or Manila.

I’ve always seen it in a simpler way. An immigrant is someone who moves to another place because they need to, for work, safety, etc. It can be to another country or simply a different city. An expat is someone who chooses to live in another country and doesn’t need to work in that country, or works but only for a specific period of time and then moves back. A digital nomad is someone who works online and travels while working. And yes, I agree that all 3 are immigrants, but with different approaches. I don’t think it’s too controversial, except when there is racism or discrimination.

Just curious, did u re-upload this vid? Because i watched it yesterday 🤔 i always comment too, just to support ur channel algorithm

If you go to the province of Newfoundland Canada you will be referred to as "from away" not a foreigner, not an expat, not an immigrant. You are either from there or from away. Even if you are Canadian.

I think you said it so well, the difference we also see in immigrant and expat as descriptors. While in the BIG picture, it really doesn't matter terribly what people title themselves, I do think there is a very real difference. Agree wholeheartedly with your opinions here.

Well... Actually, I left and lived in a series of other countries due to unlivable economic conditions in the U.S. There are definitely some broke expats out there. A lot of English teachers and retirees fall into this category. I had to borrow money to leave, initially, because I didn't have enough money for food.

I'm from the US and plan on living in Ecuador. When I do, I will definitely consider myself an expat and not an immigrant. The reason is, if I ever need to return to the US, or go anywhere else for that matter, I still want that US citizen status to fall back on. It offers some semblance of peace of mind to know I'll still be welcome there. that is, if the whole northern hemisphere doesn't end up covered by a nuclear cloud someday!

Thanks for offering your insights on this topic. I generally agree with your differentiation between expat and immigrant. However, I am (at this point) trending toward wanting to use immigrant or expat-immigrant (see how I created a hyphenation there?), partly because what an "expat" is has changed over time. Why? Our reasons are because we do not necessarily want to immerse 100% into the new culture, but we also don't want to immerse 100% in "expat" neighborhoods, make mostly expat friends, or get lazy with learning to speak Spanish (in MX). I'm sure many expats share a lot of these sentiments, but our experience so far is that "expat" is getting to mean the aforementioned things, and that just isn't our jam at all. The other reason we view ourselves as future immigrants more is that --even though we may pursue a digital nomad visa or two on top of legal residence-- we are also giving serious consideration to disassociating ourselves with our country of nationality. That's another reason why I like adding the word "immigrant" to the term! It tacitly suggests our intentions without getting into a big heated debate!

what is your thoughts on safety in Cotacachi

I do agree most of the time with your opinion on your chanel. However, this time I challenge you with the following: Expat: a person who has a contract from outside the country she/he is working in. Immigrant: a person who moved to a country and intends to stay (work, marriage, study, etc.) Migrant: a person who moves from one country to another Digital nomad: a person who works online (programmer, teacher, consultant, etc.) In your case I see you as an immigrant to Ecuador for marriage, but as an expat for the work contract you do in other countries.

100% right on - brilliant job of explaining the difference. Here in Colombia on the Facebook groups you also get a lot of this P.C., virtue signally B.S. from people criticizing those who call themselves "expats" instead of immigrants - but personally I could give a rat's ass about what they think and proudly call myself an expat. And while I will probably apply for residency within the next year or two, if things were to suddenly go south here in Colombia I wouldn't hesitate to move elsewhere - though it won't be back to the U.S.

Brilliant! I will start as an expat. Maybe some day I'll be an immigrant, but that day isn't here yet.

How can anything be trusted here when the government has taken away the IVA money off IESS from its retirees over 65. The money just stopped without any notification I was told by several. .That money should be separated from anything else like in the US but the excuse is is that they have run out of money since the crisis. So obviously all the money must be in one big pot. What's to say they won't take the money invested in banks etc also?

Good discussion man

I enjoyed your perspective on the subject. I wonder if, in part, the debate comes from the inherent unfairness of being born in one place vs another. Having valuable skills plus a 'high value passport' can give a person the option to live as an expat. Whereas skills become much less valuable when they're attached to a 'low value passport.' Like when an engineer has to be an uber driver because their education isn't recognized in the first world country they immigrated to. I imagine there are alot of people who would live as expats if circumstances made it possible for them. The need to be loyal and lay their foundations in a specific country comes from the fact that they don't really have many options if they want to enjoy a certain quality of life. Of course, it doesn't change how you feel about your lifestyle, or what being an expat means to you. I just think it might be why the subject is such a sore spot for some folks.

I thought an expat was someone whose job took them to another country. Like you’re there w a purpose. And when that commitment is completed, you are repatriated. It I guess your definition makes sense too.

Well yeah... My Asian/Chinese parents spent 40+ years in Honduras and they never though of themselves as "immigrants". Now, we understand that they were "expats" as they knew for a fact that some day they would return "home". I came to the US when I was 19 and now I have been here well over 50% of my life here.....So I am American, I feel American and I tell my (Asian) kids they are American. This is HOME. Nowhere else. Not only do we belong (and make the claim) here, we belong nowhere else. On the other hand, the part that many people would criticize specially here in the US is the "failure to integrate" for immigrants (not expats). The problem is that many immigrants in the US think of themselves as expats and not immigrants. This is important in the US and there is really no other society as diverse as we are and we have to be careful not to be separated by culture or race or religion; although as of lately, Americans are being grouped separated by any criteria you can come up with (some of them not even made up, yet), Politics being the big one. Is it important for you to live in Ecuador or some other country and not wanting to integrate "go native", mix with the population and become "one of them". Not really as you don't (mind reading here) want or care for. BUT in the US we can't be as liberal with that idea (of expat) as we might lose the identity of a country and be just a collection of separate people with different languages and cultures and customs who happen to share the land. For White people, whether Americans or German, etc living in some other country (even First World countries) it is not expected for then to speak the language, embrace the customs and society, etc. There are expats living in Hong Kong or Honduras or Japan for 30+ years (as my parents did) and they are fine being "outsiders" and never learn the language, eat the food, learn the history, listen to the music and then get upset that waiters or cab drivers or store clears or band tellers don't speak English. But in the US, that "I am who I am" idea can be problematic. But then again...we are talking about two very different identities, needs and purposes.

It's refreshing hearing an honest take on this. Props to you for being cognizant of these very real trends.

I am going to just refer to myself as a Traveler

Just curious did you give up your US citizenship?

Agreed. Its a weird thing. Technically, "Expats" are immigrants. The words are interchangable. The term Expatriate I think has anti-US overtones sometimes. Either way, people will call themselves what they want. At EOD, we're all gringos in Ecuador 😆Personally, I don't like being called a gringo, but its sorta cool that I'm seen no different than my white counterparts

Great video.

You are not an immigrant because you are not competing with locals for jobs. As long as you don't act a fool to people you should be welcomed because you bring much needed money to the local population by shopping for food, eating at restaurants, buying household goods etc.

Love your videos and usually agree with you, but not this time. We are a Tri racial family with lots and lots of friends from Mexico and central n South America. They are every bit as opportunistic as we are. Most have tremendous love for their country as I do. Most think about returning to the home country or at least many do. They want to use our system to set themselves up in life. I’ll give you an example, a Mexican living in the US long term, watching the US play Mexico in soccer….they are NOT cheering for the US. I don’t really care which label someone wants to put on me. Call me an expat or immigrant of whatever. To most people, expat is someone with means and an immigrant does not have much financially. To me digital nomad just means you work online and travel. Whatever, call me an immigrant, I don’t care either way.

The Census Bureau defines White people as follows: "White" refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East or North Africa. It includes people who indicated their race(s) as "White" or reported entries such as German, Italian, Lebanese, Arab, Moroccan, or Caucasian.

100% agree

Spot on vacino.

As I'm technically a digital nomad/location independent for the last 14 years I'd say the difference I see in Ecuador is that most expats are retired whereas digital nomads are not. Digital nomads tend to be younger, although not necessarily by much, and still working. But I don't have a "home" to go back to anymore than an expat. That said, digital nomads are often less rooted in a place and more willing to spend a few months here and there. Eventually most evolve into expats as the travel can be exhausting.

Man, I got no idea what to call myself. And yeah, it's all bullshit anyway.

You disagreed with the “Privileged Immigrant” as a definition of immigrant but yet everything you mentioned nails that definition. I’m sorry but I disagree with your opinion %100. Immigration means **an international movement to a country which you’re not a citizen in order to settle**. Now, you may not want to settle because you have the means not to, but it doesn’t make you a non-immigrant. If you’ve obtained or are working through obtaining your permanent residency and citizenship from a country you moved to, you’re an immigrant. Immigrants move to other countries because conditions in their own countries don’t allow them to live the life they want to. Isn’t that true for expats? There is a difference between an immigrant and just a world traveller. Expats aren’t world travellers. Expats are immigrants that the privileged westerners call themselves so that they don’t align themselves with the very people, immigrants, they look down at.

An expat in Ecuador has to prove they have a steady income of I belive around $1200USD/Month.

El gringuito no quiere ser immigrant pero si dice farm a un pequeño pedazo de terreno que yo sepa farm en Canadá o usa son terrenos muy grandes

What does Expat mean? Expatriot?

The labeling game is silly. You are a family originally from the USA that has moved to Ecuador to farmstead. Not sure why the social media keyboard warriors insist on putting people in boxes

By law, you're an immigrant in Ecuador. If you go to live somewhere else, you will be a immigrant there. Don't lose sleep over it. "An expatriate or "expat" is somebody who leaves their country of origin and settles abroad for an extended period of time, often permanently."

In other words, Experts are opportunists, who take advantage of the misery of poor people, they are not loyal to anything or anyone. Immigrants are loyal and grateful to the country that welcomes them.

I view it as you're an expat if you have to continue to report taxes to the country you left.