To clarify:
* an immigrant is someone who goes to live in a foreign country and fantasises about settling in and being accepted (the more foreign the country the greater the fantasy)
* an ex-pat is someone who goes to live in a foreign country and realises that they're living in a form of real-life Disneyland (the more foreign the country the greater the Disneyland)
* a tourist is someone who goes to a foreign country and thinks it's all wonderful

In Thailand almost all long-term Westerners are here on non-immigrant visas anyway, however much they're in denial