Becoming an expat is exciting! In most situations, an employer and government have decided that your knowledge and services are so desired that they are willing to pay for your moving expenses and grant you permission to live and work in their country respectively. 

It's not easy leaving your friends and family, Target and Costco. An American Life is easy, but it can also be a burden. Life abroad can be challenging, but it has its rewards. We lived comfortably. We had cleaning services and childcare at reasonable prices. We had more time with our kids; we had holiday breaks and summers off.  We could travel (domestic or international) often as a family. Money was never an issue. 

As an American, international educator, one of the first terms you hear abroad is Expat - short for expatriate.  Oxford Languages defines the term simply as a person who lives outside their native country. But I notice that the term was not really used for non-Western expats; these people were reserved a different term - immigrant. 

Oxford Languages defines immigrant as a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. The differentiating word (permanently) is not necessarily known. You might meet expats that are considered "lifers," who do not intend on moving back to their native country. You may also meet immigrants that will spend their entire working career in a country, only to retire back home. 

In the end, these two terms are reserved for two sets of people: ones that are desired and ones that are not by a country benefiting greatly from both.