New visa scheme for expats in Singapore Singapore has been overhauling its expat visa scheme, in an endeavour to attract highly skilled expats to the city state. Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said: “What we are trying to do is to be able to differentiate the high talent, the really super skill sets talent … Read more
Crisis in Ukraine The shocking events in Ukraine have dominated the international news over the past few weeks, with some inevitable consequences for expats both in Ukraine and abroad. Ukraine is a large, developed country with substantial trading and business links with other nations. Expat Focus has spoken to a contact in an international IT … Read more
Top ten countries for British expats The latest survey conducted by immigration law firm Reiss Edwards, and cited by the Daily Express, rates Australia as the most popular destination for British expats, followed by Canada, New Zealand and the USA. Spain, Ireland, France, South Africa, Germany and Italy also appear in the top ten. Family … Read more
Hong Kong: old colonial law invoked for repression Pro-democracy website Stand News has been shut down over the holiday season by Hong Kong police, invoking an old law used under British colonial rule which has not been deployed for decades. Activists have said that this episode could make criticism of the government illegal in Hong … Read more
The best place to live as an expat HSBC has recently published its 14th annual Expat Explorer survey, canvassing around 20,000 people and analysing where in the world is currently most popular with expats, and why. Work remains the main driver of relocation, as one might expect. On the basis of work, therefore, the survey … Read more
If you intend to move abroad, it’s essential to do adequate research – for example, you may need to learn about visas or how to navigate the local healthcare system. With so much to think about, it’s easy to become overwhelmed or forget something important, and you may decide to enrol on an online (or … Read more
British citizens leaving Spain ‘in droves’ The UK national press has given substantial coverage to the issue of British expats’ ‘exodus’ from Spain this month. Spanish estate agencies and others report a mass departure of Brits, many of whom are retirees. Changing regulations following Brexit, including in relation to healthcare, driving licenses and residency, are … Read more
Stranded Australians may be allowed back into the country Over 44,000 expats are waiting to return to Australia, with 5,000 of them classified as vulnerable. However, Scott Morrison has now acknowledged their frustration and says that the authorities are looking at an 80% vaccination rate as a threshold for letting stranded expats back into the … Read more
There have been some devastating stories in the news since our last international update, with the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan, an earthquake in Haiti, and a mass shooting in the UK. However, expat news always plays out against a backdrop of world events, and this month, we’re going to take a look at the … Read more
The international news remains dominated by Covid-19, but there are other news items worth noting, too. We’ll take a look below at the current stories affecting expats across the globe. Stop over options increase from the UAE Since the UAE is on the government’s red list, anyone flying in from the Emirates will need … Read more