An expatriate is an individual temporarily or permanently relocating to a country other than their native country. The individual relocating would be considered an immigrant in their new country.
On the Holmes and Rahe stress scale for adults, “change of residence” is considered a stressful activity, assigned 20 points (with the death of a spouse being ranked the highest at 100), although other changes on the scale (e.g., “change in living conditions”, “change in social activities”) often occur as a result of relocating, making the overall stress level potentially higher.
Various studies have found that moving house is often particularly stressful for children and is sometimes associated with long-term psychological problems.
Pressure points for international assignees include challenges of a new job, inability to participate in activities available at home, loss of peer support, language and other cultural difficulties, and worker’s spouse being unable to find work.