What Is an Expat? Understanding the Meaning of Living Abroad

What Is An Expat?

What Does "Expat" Really Mean?

Basically, an expat (expatriate) is someone who lives outside their country of birth—by choice, circumstance, work, family, or curiosity about the wider world. It describes where you live, not who you are.

Some move temporarily for work or lifestyle, while others stay for many years but still maintain ties to their home country.

Being an expat does not mean renouncing your homeland or your identity. Most expats remain citizens of their native country, carry their history with them, and stay deeply connected to the culture that shaped them.

At Two Norths, we see expatriation as an expansion, not a departure.

Why People Become Expats

People live abroad for many reasons:

Career opportunities
Retirement
Adventure and travel
Family connections
Lifestyle changes

For some, becoming an expat is temporary.
For others, it becomes the start of a completely new life.

Living Abroad Doesn't Mean Letting Go

People become expats for many reasons: opportunity, relationships, service, reinvention, or simply the pull of another place. What they share is a life lived between coordinates—engaged in one country while still rooted in another.

Patriotism doesn’t vanish at a border. If anything, distance often sharpens appreciation for where you came from.

Expat vs Immigrant: Is There a Difference?

In everyday conversation the words are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle distinction.

Expat: someone living outside their home country, often temporarily or with the option of returning.
Immigrant: someone who moves to another country intending to settle permanently.

In reality, many people begin as expats and eventually become immigrants as their lives evolve.

For example, many Americans who move to Canada initially arrive as expats—but over time they may apply for residency or citizenship.

Expat Life Is All About Engagement, Not About Escape

Being an expat is not about escape, protest, or disloyalty. It is about engagement.

It means choosing to understand another place from the inside, while remaining shaped by the one that first taught you who you are. Borders may change addresses, but they do not erase identity.

Whether your path leads you away for a few years or a lifetime, the truth remains the same. Living abroad can widen perspective without narrowing allegiance. An expat does not abandon home. An expat carries it forward—with more context, more humility, and often a deeper appreciation for what home truly means.

That’s how we ended up here in Victoria.

Not as tourists.
Not exactly as immigrants either.

Somewhere in between — learning the rhythms of a new place while still carrying pieces of the life we came from.

Two Norths grew out of that experience: the strange, wonderful middle ground of living between countries.

And What Is A Repat?

A repat (repatriate) is someone who returns home after living abroad—bringing back decades of experience, perspective, and change.

In our case, one of us lived as an expat for more than fifty years before coming home to Canada. That return wasn’t a reversal. It was a continuation of the same cross-border life, just viewed from the other shoreline.

Why This Matters To Us

Two Norths exists because modern life isn’t always lived in one place. Increasingly, people build identities, families, and careers across borders.

We’re not about leaving one country behind.
We’re about learning how to live meaningfully between them.

Common Questions About Expats

Do expats pay taxes in their home. country?

Often they do. For example, American citizens living abroad are generally still required to file U.S. tax returns even if they live in another country.

Can an expat become a citizen of the new country?

Yes. Many expats eventually apply for permanent residency or citizenship if they decide to settle long-term.

Is being an expat the same as immigrating?

Not exactly. An expat usually refers to someone living abroad, sometimes temporarily, while an immigrant typically intends to settle permanently.

How long can someone be considered an expat?

There is no fixed time. Some people live abroad for a year, while others remain expats for decades.

Explore More About Expat Life

If you’re curious about what expat life actually looks like beyond the definition, you might enjoy these stories and guides from Two Norths:

→ Living as Expats in Victoria, British Columbia
→Our Favorite Places Around Victoria
→ Exploring Vancouver Island
→Immigration Resources for Moving to Canada

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