Size of expat community?

[afield]

Are there any reliable stats on the size of the expat community in Buenos Aires city and Greater Buenos Aires? I have heard figures such as 40,000 or 100,000, but do they have any value?

 

[el_expatriado]

According to Wikipedia there are 1,805,957 foreign born people living in Argentina.

 

[Davidglen77]

Are you referring to expats or immigrants - 2 different groups I would say.

 

[el_expatriado]

Are you referring to expats or immigrants - 2 different groups I would say.

How do you figure? All expats are immigrants to their new country.

 

[solerboy]

Are you referring to expats or immigrants - 2 different groups I would say.

Whats the difference.

I am an English man married to a Cuban. I live here permanantly.

Am I an expat or am immigrant ?

 

[el_expatriado]

You and your wife are both expats to your country of origin and immigrants to Argentina.

 

[nwm1980]

I've always assumed expat to mean someone who doesn't view their move to a new country as permanent- and immigrant as someone who aims to make a lifelong home in a new nation.

 

[Davidglen77]

I've always assumed expat to mean someone who doesn't view their move to a new country as permanent- and immigrant as someone who aims to make a lifelong home in a new nation.

This is exactly what I meant. You never hear of the "xxxx" benevolent expat organization. These types of things are geared towards immigrants looking to settle and live their lives in a new country. Ex-pats are just checking it out, although some for an extended period of time and end up even becoming immigrants.

 

[el_expatriado]

I think the confusion is that most people associate the word "expat" with an "Ernest Hemingway, hanging out in local bars, James Bond, perhaps on the run from the law" type of vibe, where as the word "immigrant" has a "working in the fields, cleaning houses, menial labor, scraping to get by" vibe.

In reality everyone who is an expat is also an immigrant. But each word has a different connotation. If I tell someone I am an expat it sounds a lot cooler than saying I'm an immigrant.

 

[iamsillywarm]

Yes there does seem to be an issue of class.