May 2012 International Relocation and Moving Abroad News Archive

Archived Daily Moving Abroad News...

Brits abroad should be allowed to vote

31 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: Brits abroad should be allowed to vote

British expats campaigning to retain the right to vote in general elections at home have been given the support of the European Commission. As they stand the rules mean that anyone who has lived outside Britain for more than 15 years loses their right to cast a ballot. Commission VP Viviane Reding said the EC was looking at ways to ensure...

Skilled migrants essential for Australian economy

24 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: Skilled migrants essential for Australian economy

The Australian government has not adjusted its expected immigration figures for the coming year. Last year the figure stood at 190,000 and the number has remained the same in this year’s Federal Budget. The news will be welcomed by those who plan to move Down Under for work after months of rumours that the government planned to slash...

Emigration soars among Irish young

17 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: Emigration soars among Irish young

A new study shows that the recession in Ireland is hitting younger people hardest and fuelling a growth in the number deciding to move abroad. The survey by the Economic and Social Research Institute reveals that older age groups have not been affected as much by the economic results of the property crash as younger people. Those under the...

Pensions loophole for foreign spouses closed

10 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: Pensions loophole for foreign spouses closed

A loophole in UK law means that thousands of people living overseas are able to claim a British pension, even though they may never have even set foot in the country, according to Pensions Minister Steve Webb. A married persons allowance worth as much as £3,500 annually can be awarded based on their spouses National Insurance...

Brits move abroad for a better quality of life

3 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: Brits move abroad for a better quality of life

A new study by Lloyds TSB International show that close to a third of British expats have made the move overseas to take advantage of better job opportunities. This is a marked increase on the 27 per cent who said the same in February last year. Over the past 18 months the economy in the UK has remained flat with unemployment hovering...

Students in US want immigration action

31 May at 4 PM

News Item Link: Students in US want immigration action

Young illegal immigrants who claim that President Obama has not done enough to lower the threat of deportations despite repeated promises, have begun a campaign to urge him to use his executive powers so they can remain in the country legally. The campaign is fronted by the United We Dream Network, the biggest organisation of young...

Fewer maids to be sent from Indonesia to the UAE

30 May at 3 PM

News Item Link: Fewer maids to be sent from Indonesia to the UAE

The UAE’s Indonesian Ambassador Salman Al Farisi wants to see the amount of his countrywomen working in the UAE as housemaids fall by 15 per cent over the next three years. Mr Al Farisi said that this could be the first step in stopping unskilled workers finding employment in the country altogether. He said that he hoped for more...

Beijing offers easier residence registration for foreigners

29 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: Beijing offers easier residence registration for foreigners

Beijing has adopted several measures to ensure it is easier for non-citizens to obtain resident visas, according to sources within the Chinese capital’s police force. Chinese law states that any foreigner living in the country’s urban areas has to make their residence registration application at a local police station within the first...

UK ready for more immigration crackdown should euro collapse

28 May at 6 PM

News Item Link: UK ready for more immigration crackdown should euro collapse

The UK’s Home Office is discussing contingency plans to limit the amount of economic migrants arriving from Greece and other nations within the EU if the euro collapses. EU regulations permit citizens to work in any country within the region, including Britain, with the exception of two new members, Bulgaria and Romania. People looking...

Graduates overseas could face court due to unpaid loans

25 May at 12 PM

News Item Link: Graduates overseas could face court due to unpaid loans

There is an increasing number of graduates seeking job opportunities overseas but using a stint in a foreign country as a way of avoiding repaying debt may have serious repercussions. Moving abroad to escape student debt could seem like the perfect way to get out of making repayments but borrowers now face the possibility of fines or court...

Net migration to Britain remains above 250,000 per year

24 May at 6 PM

News Item Link: Net migration to Britain remains above 250,000 per year

Annual net migration to the UK is still at record high levels of over 250,000 per year in spite of Home Secretary Theresa May’s declared ambition to reduce it to less than 100,000 before the next election. Figures published on Thursday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the politically sensitive net migration figure...

Swiss bankers prepared for French arrival

23 May at 2 PM

News Item Link: Swiss bankers prepared for French arrival

Switzerland is bracing itself for an influx of moneyed French immigrants after Socialist Francois Hollande was victorious over Nicolas Sarkozy in the country’s presidential elections. Hollande wants to bring in a 75 per cent tax on income over one million euros as a way of combating the budget shortfall in France. The levy could drive...

More expats sent to work in emerging markets

22 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: More expats sent to work in emerging markets

More workers are being sent overseas for their jobs with challenging emerging markets like China among the most common destinations, revealed new research. The study, published in the Global Mobility Survey 2012, found that 47 per cent of organisations overall report an increase in assignments during the past 12 months and 45 per cent...

NZ emigration to Australia hits annual record in April

21 May at 4 PM

News Item Link: NZ emigration to Australia hits annual record in April

The amount of New Zealanders flocking to Australia picked up pace in April, with annual departures hitting a record 53,462. Some 4,500 Kiwis moved to Australia last month, with Statistics New Zealand reporting a net loss of 3,500 for the month. This saw the annual net loss hit 39,800, nearly 13,000 more than a year earlier. Statistics NZ...

Scientists make breakthrough with malaria vaccine

18 May at 3 PM

News Item Link: Scientists make breakthrough with malaria vaccine

Expats relocating to sub-Saharan African countries might be able to tick malaria off their list of things they are concerned about, as scientists have made a breakthrough in their efforts to find a vaccine against the disease, reports expariatehealthcare.com. University of California, San Diego (UCSD) scientists have come up with a way to...

Australian employers look overseas for talent

17 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: Australian employers look overseas for talent

Recent research shows that Australian bosses are looking overseas to fill the skills gap and South Africans are among those in demand, according to the South African. The data comes from research by the 2011 Borderless Workforce. It also indicated that foreign talent is of huge importance in the skilled manual trade and engineering...

More South African professionals considering emigrating

16 May at 6 PM

News Item Link: More South African professionals considering emigrating

A new survey of almost 6,000 South African graduate professionals reveals that many of these people are again considering emigrating, largely due to ongoing and rising crime, education and healthcare concerns, reports Engineering News. The latest PPS Graduate Professionals Confidence Index reveals that there has been a six per cent decline...

Workers not keen on Western Australia

15 May at 11 AM

News Item Link: Workers not keen on Western Australia

Too many workers are of the opinion that Western Australia is too far away and many who do move there because of higher wages can’t get used to the heat and isolation, said Peter Collier, the Australian training and workforce development minister, reports The Australian. As one of the country’s largest labour hire companies urged...

Expat groups can help movers settle in

14 May at 2 PM

News Item Link: Expat groups can help movers settle in

Britons planning to move overseas should consider how they intend to meet new people, advised an expert. HiFX reported that as large numbers of emigrants make the big move into the unknown when moving overseas, there can be problems settling in if they only know a few people. InternationalLiving.com’s executive editor Jennifer Stevens...

Many holiday home owners would consider permanent relocation

11 May at 11 AM

News Item Link: Many holiday home owners would consider permanent relocation

One in three Brits who own a holiday home abroad would consider moving overseas full time. Revealed a recent survey carried out by HomeAway.co.uk. A Place in the Sun reported that the most common reasons the site’s clients gave for permanently relocating overseas were better quality of living, a more relaxing style of life and better...

More Brits expected to emigrate to Spain

10 May at 6 PM

News Item Link: More Brits expected to emigrate to Spain

Lloyds TSB’s latest International Wealth survey has predicted that the number of UK nationals moving abroad is expected to go up during the two years ahead, with an increasing number considering Spain, reports This Is Tamworth. The survey revealed that roughly 19 per cent of people with investments and savings over £ 250,000 are...

French election result could cause exodus

9 May at 12 PM

News Item Link: French election result could cause exodus

Francois Hollande’s victory in last weekend’s French elections will see the country undertake and new tax regime, and the expected increase in taxes could lead to more French citizens thinking about moving abroad, reports the NuWire Investor. Further austerity measures will be introduced in France, and real estate experts in London...

Almost two thirds of expats live abroad without insurance

8 May at 6 PM

News Item Link: Almost two thirds of expats live abroad without insurance

Many expats are risking life overseas without any income or life protection insurance in place, revealed a recent customer survey. Expatforum.com reported that while it is generally known that taking out international private medical cover is a wise investment for expats, it appears that many people who move overseas do not view purchasing...

Granny tax could drive pensioners abroad

7 May at 6 PM

News Item Link: Granny tax could drive pensioners abroad

George Osborne’s much debated ‘granny tax’, which sees pensioners’ personal tax allowances being frozen, could lead to more retirees considering a move overseas, claim a number of property experts. As reported by aplaceinthesun.com, the latest Inland Revenue figures revealed that the Chancellor’s tax alterations will leave more...

Wealthy Americans set to give up citizenship in Switzerland

4 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: Wealthy Americans set to give up citizenship in Switzerland

The number of rich Americans giving up their US citizenship has increased dramatically since UBS’s Bradley Birkenfeld triggered a tax evasion crackdown four years ago, reports the Seattle Times. Roughly 1,780 expatriates handed in their passports at US embassies in 2011, rising from 235 in 2008, revealed Geneva’s Overseas American...

Fewer Israelis moving to the US

3 May at 2 PM

News Item Link: Fewer Israelis moving to the US

The Jewish Daily Forward has reported that fewer Israelis are emigrating to the US, while an increasing number of American Jews and other Israelis living abroad are heading back to their homeland. The immigration figures will come as positive news for Israel, which has put a lot of effort into ensuring trying to persuade its citizens to...

More Chinese emigrating to US

2 May at 4 PM

News Item Link: More Chinese emigrating to US

Latest US government statistics have revealed that 16,000 more Chinese immigrants arrived in the country last year than in 2010, reports workpermit.com. Data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services reveals that the US handed out green cards to over 1.06 million immigrants last year, of which 87,000 were to Chinese citizens. As...

UK workers look to move abroad

1 May at 6 PM

News Item Link: UK workers look to move abroad

Thousands of well-off UK citizens which the country cannot afford to lose are thinking about emigrating overseas in search of a better life, reports the Daily Telegraph. Research carried out by the newspaper shows that 19 per cent of Brits with more than £250,000 in investments and savings, excluding property, are thinking about leaving...

Greeks look abroad for brighter future

1 May at 9 AM

News Item Link: Greeks look abroad for brighter future

Following a fifth consecutive year of recession, many Greeks have decided to seek brighter fortunes abroad, according to the Greek Reporter. A recent study carried out by Thessaloniki University has revealed that a large majority of these emigrants, and those who are looking to leave, are from younger generations. Among the most popular...