That first part is a really strange criterion which I've never seen before.
As for staying indefinitely, that's why I don't necessarily consider myself an immigrant - I've been here for six years, but the future is always uncertain. I might have a different opinion if Germany allowed dual citizenship through naturalization, but they don't.
The (not so hidden) truth is that it is meant to convey a status distinction that many people are too hypocritical to acknowledge, and that has a lot to do with skin color and country of origin.
In Dhahran, there were a large number of foreign workers from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, who performed a variety of menial labors. These laborers would often have their passports held by Saudi nationals, go periods without pay with little food, or live without provided housing. They were clearly and regularly regarded by many in that town as 'lesser' in some degree or another, most likely because of their countries of origin.
Although some would call them 'migrant workers' or 'immigrants', these people were also referred to as 'expats' by the majority of the expatriates I knew, and their employers. I distinctly remember someone correcting me when referring to them as immigrants.
This is an argument over semantics, but not an insignificant one. you're claiming a particular word that I have used throughout my life to identify a great many people is an inherently bigoted instance of double-speak that masks the differentiation between classes of countries people come from.
the truth is, "expatriate" is a respectful way to refer to people working outside of their own country. What the word is "meant to convey" is as amalgamous as the people that decide to use it, as is true for all words.
If you see it is a differentiator between have-and have-not country origins, fine, but you are putting quite a bit of stock in someone's language choice reflecting a particularly heinous belief or acceptance. I assure you that there are a great many people that do not use this word as you have described it.
I should have added the caveat that I'm speaking from a western perspective (and the irony isn't lost on me that I missed this while making claims about xenophobia :).
didn't mean to be argumentative, I appreciate the discussion!
In all honesty, my experience with people correcting my usage could be a back-lash of the very usage of the words as you had described them. The culture there has been using the word 'expatriate' for decades, and there was probably a stigma avoiding using the word as a class designator that manifested itself in a gentle 'scolding' for my usage in the way you described.
I agree with you completely; for these words, context is everything. Intent in usage plays a big part as well.
because you think immigrants want to stay indefinitely? why because they are poor and you're rich?
Obviously language changes, but doing a search for "expat artist" or "expat writer" easily finds things like:
http://juliedawnfox.com/2013/07/05/expat-artists-algarve/ - a British expat who lives full-time in Portugal
http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2014/02/27/expat-arti... - another British expat, 18 years in Spain
http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2013/11/meet-expat-writers-li... - various expat writers in Yucatan, including a Canadian who moved there in the 1970s for love
Also, take a look at the profiles at http://www.expatinfodesk.com/our-authors/ . While some moved because of work, others say things like "Her relocation to Barcelona happened almost by accident, after she and her daughter set off on a European adventure. The adventure turned into a settlement and the pair are now officially expatriates - at least for the time being." and "... came to Los Angeles originally as a student, with an intention of going home after completing her sociology studies in college. Now she finds herself still living in Los Angeles after a couple of decades"
Thus, while you can say "the above is how I look at it", you cannot really argue "Within the expat community I think there is a different distinction ... ", because the expat community doesn't seems to agree with your corporate, short-term qualifications.
In 2007, Al Jazerra did a short documentary about the British immigrants in Spain ( http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2007/11/20085251... ), and it's brilliant. You can imagine an Indian show about Indian immigrants in UK ("Oh look they can't count to 10 in English, and know nothing of British history"), and it would be fodder for the far right in UK.
Different people use the term in different ways, unfortunately including what you said. But the above is how I look at it.