February 2013 International Relocation and Moving Abroad News Archive

The Canadian government has introduced a new visa scheme that gives young people the chance to live and work in the country before deciding whether they would like to make a more permanent move. The International Experience Class visa has been created by the merger of the International Exchange Programme and the International Youth...

British expats who are thinking of spending time in the UK are being advised to become familiar with new rules to be introduced in April that could affect their tax status. The Treasury announced the Statutory Residence Test in 2011 which will calculate how many days an expat is allowed to return home for before becoming liable for UK...

An inquest has heard how British woman who moved to Turkey in an effort to find love died after she contracted an illness after not taken to a hospital by her boyfriend. Beverly Mitchell died two weeks after falling ill with the mystery disease. The illness caused respiratory failure. Although a second post mortem was carried out in the...

Although Monaco has long been associated with millionaires and movie stars new residency rules mean that Brits looking to move abroad who are prepared to do a bit of hunting could find a new home for the same price it would cost to purchase a house in London. In order to become a resident of Monaco expats have to either rent or buy a home....

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...

Expats have been encouraged to manage their finances in their country of residence in order to prevent unnecessary charges, according to the Daily Telegraph. The Guardian Wealth’s chief executive David Howell said that tax planning, savings, health insurance and pensions were areas expatriates should review after moving overseas. He...

The anti-immigrant group Numbers USA has mobilised to prevent the Irish E3 visa bill being passed through the senate, according to the Irish Central. The organisation sent an email to its members, of which there are in excess of one million, targeting Ireland’s visa bill. Their move came after both the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe...

Foreign executives that move to Ireland after landing key jobs in Irish-based firms will not have to pay tax on 30 per cent of yearly income between €75,000 and €500,000 due to new changes to the Finance Bill, according to the Irish Times. The exemption is applicable to executives who stay for a period of one to five years. It will be...

Finnish mobile phone producer Nokia announced on Wednesday that it was to cut 4,000 jobs at plants in Finland, Hungary and Mexico, reports the BBC. The company said that the plants would stay open but refocus on customising phones and that the actual assembly was moving to China and South Korea. The cuts are scheduled to be complete before...

Some 15 months after an international bailout there are indications that Ireland is starting to recover, but the government says that the economy remains stuck in its worst crisis since the Second World War. The country’s rate of unemployment in January was at 14.2 per cent, close to its highest mark since the 1980s when it last had to...

More people are now leaving New Zealand than entering, despite the net migration flow being positive during the Christchurch earthquakes and the global financial crisis. The Labour Department has released figures which show that "permanent and long- term" migration is declining, from an increase of 16,500 last year to just 3900...

A recent study by TheMoveChannel.com has found that Spain is still top of the list of countries where people would like to make an overseas investment in property. In second place was the United States. However, a surprise leap of 18 spots by Cape Verde saw it once again entering the top ten at position number seven. According to a report...

Bigger numbers have led a flow-on for skilled migration and work visas. India provides the most new international students to New Zealand as well as the second largest amount of skilled migrants, found a report by the Department of Labour. In 2011, 13 per cent of all skilled migrants to the country were from India, a rise of eight per cent...

In order to fill vacancies in the mining industry, Australia is permitting those with the right qualifications to emigrate by applying to the General Skilled Migration Programme. A mining engineer who has recently graduated can pull in a salary of around A$100,000 per year. In order to obtain an Australian visa, applicants will have to...

A new study suggests that it is often easier to emigrate alone rather than with a partner. The survey has been conducted by Aiden Tabor and Dr Taciano Milfont her advisor at the Victoria University of Washington in New Zealand and it looks at the attitudes of those moving to the country from the UK. The results are that it is quite common...

Engineers who are looking to move to Australia to fill lucrative positions should consider applying before 1 July this year in order to be ahead of a change of rules in the General Skilled Migration Programme. Australia currently has a need for qualified mining engineers. Graduates in the profession can expect to earn in the region of...