The root of the noun refugeebee is an amalgam of refugee and
GB – short for Great Britain.
A refugeebee is not simply a Briton who has gone to live abroad; the term expat or expatriate covers such people adequately.
A refugeebee is generally assumed to be a Briton who has either exiled him- or herself
ex of the UK, or – in some cases – perhaps fled to other shores.
This phrase does not appear to have been used before
2004 and has, to date, been used very infrequently, with the contributor having found one reference in The Telegraph Property section of April 9, 2005.
The writer of the article was
Michael White.
“The refugeebees of Phuket or
Provence are the same; they whine about the lack of Tetley Teabags and McVitie’s Digestive
Biscuits on the supermarket shelves.”
NB Contributor's example.