International Relocation and Moving Abroad News

Passage of an E3 immigration bill for Ireland is being blocked by republican Senator Charles Grassley from Iowa. According to IrishCentral, hopes that Grassley will deal with members of his own party and the Democrats over the issues have faded. There have been no major developments since Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown said the E3 bill...

Skilled migrants will find it easier to become permanent residents in Australia under new plans announced by the government. From July, foreigners working on 457 visas, which allow them to be employed in Australia temporarily, will also be tested on their English and skills to see if they are eligible for residency. Chris Bowen, the...

Few businesses benefit from increasing unemployment and the impacts of a crippling recession. However, Ireland

Canada will think about legislating away its huge immigration applications backlog and allowing provinces to pick from one pool of potential newcomers in an effort to transform the country’s immigration system into one which is economy driven, said Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. In his speech to business leaders, Kenney vowed that...

Cash-rich foreigners from the Middle East, the Far East and Russia have long-since being buying homes in London, but they are not alone in buying homes in the UK. Looking across Britain, who are the foreign buyers keen on a UK address, asks aol.co.uk. Property website Primelocation.com has carried out research on 100 countries from which...

British expats think the standard of customer service in the United Arab Emirates is worse than in the UK, while expats from less developed countries are more satisfied, revealed a customer service survey. Roughly 86 per cent of survey respondents from the UK said customer service in the UAE is poorer than in their own country, according...

Getting the right exchange rate when moving overseas can make a huge difference, reports the Daily Telegraph. City whizz-kids have earned and lost fortunes on gambling on how the foreign exchange markets move. However, for expatriates the exchange rates movements are not about making cash by speculating on rises and falls; it’s much more...

It could soon be cheaper to use mobile phones when travelling to other countries within the European Union, reports the BBC. MEPs have voted for a significant reduction in the price which companies can charge for texts and calls and – for the first ever time – to introduce a maximum charge for data usage. The move comes as the latest...

A British expat whose efforts to be awarded the right to vote were recently turned down by judges has not been granted permission to appeal, reports the Daily Telegraph. James Preston went to the High Court in 2011 to challenge the law banning Britons from voting after they have resided overseas for 15 years. Madrid-based Preston argued...

Canada’s natural beauty, healthcare services, security and multicultural society made it the number one place in the world for UK expats, revealed an annual index. The NatWest International Personal Banking Quality of Life Index also showed that despite the global economic woes, over two thirds of British expats did not feel their quality...

The US government might be getting stricter on a “money for visa” green-card programme which faced heavy criticism even though it boosted the construction industry in a number of recession-battered markets, reports The Daily. The EB-5 programme gives wealthy foreigners the opportunity to be granted citizenship if the invest between...

As many as 80,000 jobs in the Canadian province of British Columbia could be taken by Irish construction workers, revealed a delegation from Canada which is in Ireland this week. The British Columbia Construction Association’s president Manly MacLachlan said that there were endless opportunities for qualified workers in the province,...

Net migration went up in the Coalition’s first year in office despite its pledge to significantly reduce the figure, reports the Daily Telegraph. Official figures reveal that the amount of people coming to the UK to live for a year or more, minus those who moved overseas, was at 250,000 for the year ending June 2011. The represents an...

Migrants to Australia will be given a warm welcome in the Northern Territory after a new agreement was announced, according to ABC. The Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce explained that a new regional migration scheme will be especially useful for smaller companies that lose employees to the resource boom over the coming five years....

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship has reported a rise in short-term business visits last year, according to workpermit.com. New figures reveal that more than 120,000 applications were processed for the 456 subclass short stay business visa during the final quarter of last year. Under the regulations for this visa,...

Prime Minister David Cameron has claimed that it should be easier for workers to get jobs in other European countries, as migration will boost the economy, reports the Daily Telegraph. The prime minister and 11 other conservative leaders issued a joint letter which urged improved “labour mobility” within the EU in order to help people...

Expats living in Australia must monitor their UK credit and debit cards closely as retailers in Australia move increasingly towards lowered security, reports the Daily Telegraph. Australia is one of the most popular countries for Brits to emigrate to, with more than 100,000 making the move between 2005 and 2010. Most Brits who move abroad...

The UK Embassy in Bahrain has assured Britons in the country about new immigration regulations which mean they will not be able to get visas on arrival anymore, according to tradearabia.com. The embassy said that the proposed changes concerning Bahraini visas remain at an early stage. It explained that it had been informed by the Ministry...

Nearly half of employees around the world would think about moving abroad for a pay rise, the right job and other incentives like language training and trips home, according to a recent survey. With the global economy continuing to struggle, employees in Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, India and Russia were the keenest to move if new opportunities...

The government of Hong Kong is speeding up plans to lure skilled foreign workers as it predicts a massive labour shortage. The island has one of the most rapidly ageing populations in the world as well as among the lowest birth rates, reports the Daily Telegraph. The government of the former British colony predicts a shortfall of 14,000...