Expat, immigrant, foreigner. Not all foreigners in Poland are expats.

It's not a very accurate description though. Most of the expats I know / have known intend to return to their home country to retire (or have done so).

No, delphiandomine, my post was about the claims made in Harry's posts. I did not personally abuse anyone. I criticized Harry's performance as a public poster. I made no claims about his personal life.

Perhaps the fact that you and Harry seem to live upon this forum, as evinced by your tens of thousands of posts, has confused you regarding the difference between your personal lives and your public personas here.

It must be said - judging by the fates of friends from university, I'm convinced that I got the better deal.

Did any of them get stuck at university until their late 30s?

The people I knew from those days who have left the UK don't seem to have done a vast amount better than the ones who stayed.

Hahahahahahaha! What a laughable lack of logic! Harry, you should realize that your inability to name any expatriates on the forum living off of their parents does not justify your claim that none do. You do not know the life situations of every single expatriate that posts here. Harry, stop embarrassing the expatriate community with your stupidly inductive assertions.

More stuck with a horrendous commute into London, to be fair.

I know one guy who is a sales manager for a huge shipping company in London - he has the huge house, the nice car and so on - yet he still takes the train because the traffic is just so horrendous.


Suppose it depends on how you measure it, but for me, the 5 minute walk to work versus 2 hours on the train says it all.

Have you seen the title of this thread? We're talking about expats. Please try to stay on topic.


Why would my behaviour in any way reflect on a community which I am not part of. Does your rudeness and inability to discuss things without resorting to personal abuse embarrass the Inuit community?

"Expat" is an abbreviation of "expatriate". Both "expat" and "expatriate" signify the same signified. Using the term "expatriate" herein is not off-topic.

Not exactly. One would never talk about having "expated" someone.

As said above, feel free to argue that one with Merrian Webster: merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expat

"signify the same signified"? There's an interesting one.

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! I have no need to argue with Webster because Webster defines "expat" in exactly the way I have:


merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expat

Harry, the link you posted says clearly that an expat is an expatriate. Are you feeling well? Did you not read the Webster's definition you linked to? Maybe you need a nap.


If semantics interest you then you should study them. Such study may prevent some further hilarious gaffes on your part.

But not all expatriates are expats.

Incidentally, the link given clearly shows that the first usage of the word "expat" was in 1962.

Precisely. Which is why there are two words rather than just one.


Surely you don't mean to imply that I need to sleep something off? If you are, I fear you're confusing us: I'm the one who has finished work and is now off to the pub.

Harry, instead of pointing to webster's, which as far as I can see shows expat and expatriate to mean the same thing, could you tell us what YOU think the difference is?

Personally, I'd use expat and immigrant interchangeably. I'd say, expat is a term that a citizen of the country of origin would call that person, immigrant is a term that a citizen of the destination country would call that person.

Expats are here for a limited time, are sent here by a foreign company. The ones I know are in Warsaw from Monday morning until Friday afternoon and their families stay at home. Their number is dwindling because they are expensive to maintain. They have no connection with the country they are working in...Immigrants are here to stay, at least until their pension....

I've noticed a rapid decline in expats over the last decade or so, plus an increase in residents born elsewhere in the EU during that same period. Shale gas though has started to bring a n wave of expats, most of whom will leave when their assignments finish.

I am in Wroclaw for vacation. What a beautiful Polish city. Almost no foreigners or outsiders here. Almost everyone speaking Polish. People greeting each other with ''Good Day'' and respect is rampant. It's crazy what a city where people are the same and think the same feels.

Expat publications I've seen on the internet seem to imply economic difference between immigrants and expats: while the immigrants usually escape poverty or political persecution, expats seem to be searching for tax relief.

Here in Poland I would think "Warsaw Insider" is a typical expat publication. Expats here in Poland are on a temporary basis, at least the ones I know.

Spot on. Echos de Pologne is a similar magazine. Varsovie Acceuil is an expat club, as was the fortunately defunct Britannia Club. There's the 'expat package' thing with apartment, school fees, cleaner etc often included. Plus as f stop says, there are tax issues. Not too many people know about tax equalisation unless it affects them directly, but those lucky enough to be on an expat package can often find their tax bill picked up by their employer.

In Wroclaw? Are you serious?

Almost all white people here. I just showed this clip to my cousin and said it's modern day USA

youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dvvHMM6TF50

Doesn't mean that there's no foreigners there. Wroclaw is seen as "the new Krakow" by some people.

I was here before but as I get older, i want to return to my Polish roots and I now see Wroclaw as a city I could call home

Is this because you perceive Wroclaw to have no "foreigners" in it?

I would say since 2008 the number of worker on a expatriate package have increased in Poland. Increased FDI and expatriate workers go hand in hand.The monday to fridays floaters are normally here on a consultancy basis, paying taxes in their home country although most of them do exceed the number of days threshold in PL..

As for numbers I would say there are more Spanish,French,Benelux,Italians and Scand's, there are certainly less Brits and Irish on a expatriate package here. I base this on the schools my kids attend which I believe is a true marker.

Part of it yes. I lived most my life in Southern California, where half or more are Non whites. It has worn on me.

agreed, however I have found that most of the Irish expats have their kids at the American school rather than the British.
And I know of two people that have pulled out of shale- they were American....gladly the whole fracking crap is proving most difficult for them.

Why on earth would they do that?