People choose to become expats for many reasons, including better futures for themselves and their families, have interesting experiences, and travel. Many countries also benefit from immigration and expat-presence. However, expat life also has inherent challenges, including facing discrimination against locals at times. Conversely, in some places, locals may view expats as privileged.
Discriminations and challenges faced by expats
Some believe that it's fair for a country to give priority to its citizens, while others may argue that expat-presence has many benefits on countries and, therefore, expats deserve equal treatment.
Expats who face discrimination against locals might feel discouraged about their futures, and unfortunately, not everyone can give up their new lives and go back home. While each person's experiences will differ, and some may never face any discrimination, here are a few examples of challenging situations facing expats:
In some cases, expats may earn lower wages than citizens and long-term residents and be worse off than others. For instance, International Labour Organization (ILO) stated in December 2020, following its report, “The migrant pay gap: Understanding wage differences between migrants and nationals”, that “Migrants earn nearly 13 per cent on average less than national workers in high-income countries”. The ILO has analysed data from 49 countries for the report.
le News reported in July 2021 that people with a migrant background were “financially worse off” than others in Switzerland, citing the Federal Statistical Office (FSO)'s data, and that people with a migrant background paid “on average 10% more per square metre of living space” vs the others. The le News report noted that other factors, including age and education level also corresponded to such financial disparity.
More recently, expats in some destinations may have felt discriminated against over the COVID-19 vaccine distribution systems. On a related note, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic-related mobility restrictions in some countries may also make expats feel increasingly isolated due to the lack of family ties and social connections.
Some expats might not feel part of the society or be able to feel at home in the new countries. In unfortunate cases, expats may continue to feel like outsiders even after becoming citizens of their host countries.
But it's not all doom and gloom
For example, the ILO report: “The migrant pay gap: Understanding wage differences between migrants and nationals” stated on page xiii “Key findings” that migrants in “low- and middle-income countries” “tend to earn about 17.3 per cent more than nationals on average, with notable exceptions”. The Key findings section of the report stated that a reason for migrants earning more on average was high-skilled temporary expats making a large portion of the total migrants “in some countries”.
Certain expats, including digital nomads, also find developing low-cost countries ideal to work remotely or run their businesses from. Advantages of living in low-cost remote places include a relaxed lifestyle and the ability to earn in stronger currencies than that of the host country. However, the lifestyle of expats in such locations may be viewed as privileged by nationals who earn lower local wages.
Tips for new expats adjusting to life overseas
If you are a new or aspiring expat, here are some tips to help with your life abroad.
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Plan your finances
If your income is going to be lower until you upskill and get local experience, be careful with your finances. Planning and budgeting can help while you get established (and even after!).
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Try to build a support network
Opportunities to make friends might be limited with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Consider joining social media expat groups and other online communities based on your interests to meet like-minded individuals until any pandemic-related restrictions ease.
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Give it time and work to better your life
If you need new skills to earn more money, continue to work towards them. While it can be challenging to start over anywhere, you don't have to stay where you began.
Moving to a new country isn't easy. While there are inherent challenges in a new location, embarking with an open mind will help you adjust to your host country and enjoy it.
