Cities are becoming increasingly diverse. Across the world, more and more high-skilled workers are relocating to attractive destinations in search of a better lifestyle and greater well-being. According to the Intern Nations Expat Insider 2025 report, quality of life is one of the main factors attracting international talent, with countries such as Spain, Panama, Austria and Luxembourg ranking among the top destinations. Barcelona is a clear representation of this reality: around 200,000 foreign-born residents with university studies live in the city, representing around 12-14% of the city population.

However, expats are often perceived as temporary residents with a higher income. This is not a new phenomenon, and a growing body of research has examined the effects of these mobility patterns on cities. Areas in the city with a higher concentration of expats and temporary international residents often tend to get gentrified with higher rents, changes in local commerce, and businesses increasingly oriented and catering towards these new “premium customers”. This situation has led to a win-loss for expats and local residents.

The real challenge, then, is how to revert this reality into a win-win-win approach for cities, newcomers and local communities. That requires moving beyond the idea of integration as a vague aspiration and understanding it as something concrete, mutual and embedded in the social, economic and urban life of the city.

The Formula

Therefore, how can cities, expats and locals win? Integration is not a feeling. It is not about loving a place or being enthusiastic about its food, weather or urban lifestyle. It is a set of concrete, structural commitments that any newcomer, regardless of origin, profession or salary, can choose to make in order to build a feeling of belonging.

At Anteverti, we propose the following formula, which we believe can mark the difference between an expat who lives in a city and one who truly entangles to it:

1. Learn the local language, the real one

In many cities, the dominant spoken language is not the one that appears only in official signage or in the regional television. In Barcelona it is Catalan, in Brussels it may be French or Dutch, depending on the neighbourhood. Making the effort to learn the local language is one of the most powerful signals an expat can send to the local community. Language is not just communication; it is culture and identity, and choosing to learn it expresses a willingness to become part of the place.

2. Engage with local culture beyond the touristic layer

Every city has a surface culture: festivals, the food, the architecture. But it also has a deeper layer: neighbourhood associations, the local theatre, community traditions and political debates.  A genuine newcomer goes deeper; he or she is interested in reading local writers, following local politics, attending neighbourhood events and festivities that are not designed for international residents or visitors.

3. Love the city, not just the idea of it

Language and culture are just two stepping stones in the transition from expat to local. Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, expats who venture beyond English-only cafes, English-only friends, and English-only restaurants discover the real city. They start to feel like a local, integrating easily into the society that, until that moment, surrounded them like an unknown forest. That love for the city, and its inhabitants can even bring their offspring to be truly global citizens. The important thing is that expats love the city they live in, and not the idea of the city.

4. Give back to the community

The final step in the expat journey is about giving back to the community that hosts them. Expats who join local associations and clubs, volunteer, pay taxes in the country of residence and vote in local elections have far greater chances of truly integrating into their city. By giving back, expats also begin to offset all the negative perceptions that so often accompany their lifestyles: the sense that they extract value from a place without contributing to it. The social contract of a city is built on reciprocity.

When does an expat stop being an expat? There is no official ceremony, no passport stamps that state “local”. The transition happens progressively, almost imperceptibly, until one day directions get given without checking a map, until city politics provoke frustration rather than curiosity, until showing up to vote feels like something that matters rather than something optional.

The question that keeps this debate open is: Could an expat, someone born elsewhere, one day become the first mayor of their adopted city? Can the vision of someone who chose a city, who fell in love with it and learned to care for it, offer the best viewpoint to guide its future?

We believe that the win-win-win is possible, but it is not automatic nor easy. It requires integration, not only as a feeling, but as a daily practice. When expats choose to belong, locals gain neighbours instead of strangers. ●