May 2012 International Relocation and Moving Abroad News Archive

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...