January 2012 International Relocation and Moving Abroad News Archive

The Canadian government is hoping to attract overseas entrepreneurs to the country by offering permanent residency. Jason Kenney, the Immigration Minister, said he hoped the move would elevate Canada above countries including the US, the UK and Australia where only temporary residency was available. Mr Kenney is due to travel to start up...

The Singapore government has hiked up stamp duty on property being purchased by foreigners in an attempt to calm the booming property market. A year ago additional buyer’s stamp duty was introduced at 10 per cent. However, this appears to have done little to calm prices and so it has been increased to 15 per cent. The ABSD is charged in...

The shaky economic problems in Italy are seeing more immigrant communities deciding to look at moving abroad to escape the dire financial situation. Italy is currently in recession as it struggles with austerity cuts and massive debts. The trend to pack up and leave is particularly prevalent in the country’s Chinese community. A growing...

The number of New Zealanders moving across the Tasman to Australia dropped to its lowest level in just under two years last November, according to Statistics New Zealand. The net loss of population during the month was also slowed as more Australians travelled in the opposite direction. After seasonal factors were taken into account,...

Expats miss the British countryside the most, reveals a recent survey. Almost half (46 per cent) of expats in the United Arab Emirates that were questioned admitted that they longed for the ancient woodlands and rolling hills of the UK. The British sense of humour came in a close second place, with 42%. Missing British humour rose to...

A recent survey concerning the banking habits of expats has revealed that those living in Spain tend to have the most problems. The research was conducted by Just Landed, and expat website, on behalf of Lloyds TSB International. Just under two-thirds (64 per cent) of the respondents from Spain said that they did not trust the local...

The Qualifications Authority in New Zealand has revealed that dozens of people entering the country and trying to secure jobs are doing so by using bogus qualifications including university degrees. The most common offenders, according to the authority, come from Fiji and China. The most common forgery is a degree certificate. Details...

The British Embassy is concerned over the new SGK healthcare scheme of the Turkish Government, in particularly the affects it may have on some expats. In a statement, the Embassy wrote that it is aware of the “concern in the community” over new healthcare requirements imposed by the Turkish authorities on certain foreign nationals,...

Earthquake stricken Canterbury continues to cry out for chefs as the city's restaurants and cafes are reopening, which is great news for British migrants to New Zealand. An Australia Magazine report told how Christchurch is facing severe shortages of chefs, which has prompted Hospitality New Zealand to push the Government into adding chefs...

As reported by BBC News, increased amounts of elderly professionals have been trading the UK or their homelands for a life abroad. Ulrich Roehren, a German citizen aged 62, has waited the majority of his working life just to fulfil one plan and told of how he always dreamed of being able to work abroad but never got the chance to do so,...

Finance Minister Michael Noonan has caused a stir by suggesting that emigration from Ireland is a lifestyle choice for many young people. He used his own children as an example by saying that three of them were already living overseas, and that they had chosen to leave the country of their own volition. Mr Noonan added that this was nothing...

A recently published study by Harvard Business School suggests that, over the coming three years, the United States is expected to become less competitive globally. The research examined 10,000 alumni, and found that many of those were reluctant to keep facilities and jobs inside America. The report stated that structural changes which began...

In order to enhance their quota of new recruits, the Defence Force ‘down under’ is going to the UK in an attempt to poach recently laid-off personnel. A delegate from the Australian military will hand pick individuals from the 5,000 members of the Royal Navy who are set to lose their jobs in the coming years under government...

Australia’s Defence Force is in a drive to try and recruit laid-off military staff from the UK to fill their quota. Preferential treatment for immigration and citizenship rules will be given to those chosen. With 5,000 Royal Navy sailors set to lose their posts over the next few years in the UK, the Australian Navy has sent a...

A fall in unemployment figures in Ireland is thought to be caused by a wave of young people choosing to work abroad or stay in full-time education. According to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), youth unemployment has dropped by eight per cent as the number of those on the dole dipped by 2,295 to 434,784 in the past...