Features
Everyday life
When you tell your friends and family that you're leaving everything behind to pursue your dream job abroad, they expect nothing less from you than success. And the truth is, you do too. But what happens when things do not quite go your way? Psychologist and expat counsellor, Gabriela Encina talks to Expat.com about Expat Shame.
Everyday life
It is nearing the end of summer for Europeans. Indeed, the June to August period is traditionally the holiday season for many European countries. So here are few tips for any expats having to go back to work after a holiday period particularly marked by the COVID-19 sanitary crisis.
Moving
Australians abroad are having a hard time being able to find repatriation flights to get back to their home country during the COVID-19 crisis. The government has capped the number of passengers to arrive at the operating airports and airlines are using this to significantly increase their flights. How are repatriation flights being arranged around the world? And what are they costing?
Everyday life
For long-term expats, reverse culture shock is a thing. Like an old Rocky movie where Apollo Creed delivers the right jab before landing the left hook, reverse culture shock can be a devastating one-two punch depending on how the expat handles it. Jerry Nelson, an American expat in Argentina, talks about how he experienced culture shock when he visited his home country after two years away.
France
Hanny has seen how her work reality has radically changed this year. Supporting moms in pre and postpartum is a task that requires closeness, empathy and confidence, but this process of accompaniment has been disturbed by the health crisis and its impositions of social distancing and confinement. At the same time, the Colombian expat in France caught the virus and had to remain in bed for weeks.
Banks and finance
Whether to be able to receive money in times of emergency, or to send money to loved ones back home, it is important to consider money transfer options as an expat. Especially in the early stages of your expatriation.
Is it a soda, a fizzy drink, a soft drink? Are these pants or trousers? And what even is the loo? While it is spoken universally, there are still differences in English in different parts of the world. Let's take a little tour.
They had been planning their move for over a year. It was finally coming together. It was real: they sold their house, they quit their jobs, the children left their schools. But then, borders closed. Now, they are stranded in their home countries without a house, without jobs but most importantly, with growing uncertainty.
Work
To boost its tourism industry and revive its economy following the COVID-19 crisis, Indonesia is working on a new strategy to attract digital nomads to Bali. This was announced by Indonesia's Ministry of Maritime Affairs Management last week. Estonia, for its part, recently launched its first digital nomad visa, thanks to which you can work remotely for a company or as your own boss for a whole year. While the looming economic is having a significant impact on employment around the world, even for freelancers and digital nomads, here's what you can expect as many countries around the world are lifting their border and travel restrictions.
Everyday life
The impact of the global health crisis on couples and families cannot be ignored. Today, thousands of expats are still stranded abroad and desperately waiting for border restrictions to be lifted so that they can reunite with their loved ones. Love Is Not Tourism is a group that was set up to support couples and families that have been separated since the past few months by advocating reunification with governments of different countries. Let's have a look at what's happening around the world.
Portugal
“I travel, write, eat and talk too much”. Rossella has been living in Lisbon for the past four years now. The young content writer decided to remain in the country after her Erasmus experience.
Leisure
“The hardest thing was not being able to hug my grand-mother”. Lucrezia, an Italian expat living in Scotland managed to fly home for the holidays this summer. She tells us about how different visiting home in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis was.
Everyday life
He met his now wife eight years ago. Three months later, he moved to Buenos Aires with her. Jerry Nelson, an American expat in Argentina tells us about moving abroad for love.
Leisure
Assumption Day will be celebrated in many countries around the world on August 15th. In general, this festival is marked by a traditional mass and processions are organised by parishes, followed by a family meal and fireworks. Assumption Day is also a public holiday in many Catholic countries, especially in Europe. Although celebrations will be different this year with the COVID-19 crisis, here is an insight into the biggest festivals that will be observed in the coming weeks and months. While this might enrich your cultural knowledge, you can also seize the opportunity to spend some quality time with your dear ones even though they are far away.
Moving abroad is about to become very difficult. Indeed, the chances of finding a job abroad are decreasing with the post-COVID economic crisis. So, what are your options if you really want to move abroad?
Work
During these trying times, a lot of people have lost their jobs. In an attempt to find anything to support themselves, people are turning to temporary jobs. But what are your options as an expat living in a different country?
South Korea
Anna has been living in South Korea for nine years and Laura left after a year of living in the same country. What is it about South Korea that makes a 19 year old want to leave everything behind for? And on the other hand, what is it about the country that makes someone else leave after a year? Anna and Laura tell us their stories.
Everyday life
Jerry Nelson, an American expat in Argentina gives us a few tips about dietary habits to avoid Montezuma's revenge in new expats!
Other Types
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If you've been searching for a stable, profitable, and strategically located country to grow your business or diversify your investment portfolio, Panama should be at the very top of your list. Panama is not just a country with a famous canal. It is one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America, a regional financial hub, and a proven gateway for companies looking to expand across North and South America. With a dollarized economy, a territorial tax system, world-class logistics infrastructure, and investor-friendly immigration policies, Panama offers a unique combination of advantages that few countries in the world can match.
Everyday life
Moving abroad is often associated with adventure, discovery, and new opportunities. While it can be a deeply enriching experience, there is often a less visible reality behind the excitement of starting a new life abroad: exhaustion. In my consultations, expats sometimes describe a fatigue that never seems to lift, unusual irritability, a sense of disconnection, or the feeling that they are no longer quite themselves. What I have also observed is that this distress is rarely confined to one person. In expat families, when one parent begins to struggle, the entire family often has to adapt. Partners may feel isolated or lose their sense of direction, while children can pick up on their parents' stress, worries, or emotional fatigue, even when these feelings are never openly discussed.
New Zealand
Since June 1, foreign workers seeking certain work visas in New Zealand have been subject to new English language requirements. The government says the changes are intended to improve migrant integration and help prevent workplace exploitation.
Sweden
Since June 1, Sweden has tightened its work permit regulations. The new rules introduce higher salary requirements, stricter conditions for seasonal workers, mandatory health insurance in some cases, and increased scrutiny of employers.
Belgium
Belgium's latest reforms, which took effect on June 1, bring greater flexibility to the labor market in an effort to support job creation. At the same time, the government has introduced stricter requirements for non-European students.
United Arab Emirates
Foreign residents in the United Arab Emirates should take note: under UAE regulations, residence visas are generally canceled if the holder remains outside the country for more than 180 consecutive days. In most cases, affected residents must apply for a new visa before returning. However, several categories of expatriates are exempt from this rule and can retain their residency status despite an extended stay abroad.
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