Expat.com, together with April International, has conducted a survey regarding the response of expats to the COVID-10 pandemic.
In the survey, it was discovered that 18 percent of respondents decided to return to their homes, 38 percent will only return home once the crisis is over, meanwhile, and the rest chose to stay in their host countries.
Between April and May 2020, 725 respondents from France, Canada, America, and Belgium living mainly in the US, Portugal, Thailand, and France; with 38 percent aged between 18 to 35 and 26 percent aged 50 to 65 participated in this survey. At least 46 percent were employed and 11 percent were self-employed.
The 18 percent who decided to go home when the global pandemic hit did so because they wished to reunite with their families and also had greater trust in their home country’s healthcare compared to the countries they had been staying in.
Also Read Expats in Indonesia, Have You Hit the COVID-19 Panic Button Yet?
Meanwhile, 82 percent who chose to stay had different opinions on their decision. At least 21 percent reckoned that their host country was safe, leading them to stay put. The others either wanted to keep their families together or were financially restricted and couldn’t go home. As for the remaining 10 percent, they were concerned to travel during the pandemic.
For the expats who stayed and are willing to travel once travel restrictions have been lifted, their reason behind their wish to travel is to reunite with their families back home. Furthermore, some noted that their visa or residence permit were on the verge of expiring and others said their stay overseas have been impacted by the pandemic.
The remaining 62 percent who decided to stay at their host countries after the COVID-19 pandemic had done so because they already have stable jobs and families. In fact, some have their own businesses based in their host countries making them unable to leave.
Source: Expat