Features
Everyday life
No matter where expats are, they are always striving to go home for Christmas. Afterall, nothing beats being with family and friends during the holidays. Airfares are the most expensive during the time and the holiday rush is enough to drive anyone crazy yet home is still the best place to spend Christmas.
Everyday life
One of the worst times of the year to buy tickets for a flight is around Christmas. Ticket prices usually hike up to three times as much as its regular rate. This is because there is usually a mad rush for travelers around the world to get home in time for the festive season. While some expats have no problem shelling out that much for tickets just to go home, some ride out the Christmas rush and wait until the peak passes instead. This means traveling on Christmas or New Year's day itself.
Everyday life
Music makes the season even merrier no matter where you are from the world. It has the ability to spread the festive cheer and make anyone's mood instantly lighter. We looked into various songs from different nations around the world to check out the famous Christmas songs.
Everyday life
Some countries in the world do not celebrate Christmas such as those in the Middle East. Such countries are Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates and the rest of the Gulf States. Other non-Arab countries that do not celebrate Christmas are: Mongolia, China and Brunei. However, these countries are also most frequented by expats from all over the world. While some countries are stricter than others, a number of these are also receptive of Christmas celebrations.
Everyday life
Christmas is a season where expats feel the blues the most. The nostalgia of spending the season surrounded by family and friends, reliving traditions passed on from one generation to another, gift giving and the sumptuous food on the table are all enough for one to go mad when away from home. Unfortunately, sometimes expats have to stay in their host countries over the holidays. But who says this means you cannot offer presents to your loved ones?
Everyday life
In this feature we interview a first time expat, Mary Christianne who recently made a big move from Manila, Philippines to Pennsylvania, United States. In our Expat.com interview with her, she talks about how it is spending the holidays alone for the first time in her twenty plus years in life, her plans for the holidays and how she will cope with being away from home this Christmas.
It's been almost two years since thousands and thousands of expats in Saudi Arabia started making their exit due to the Kingdom's newest Saudi Nationalisation Scheme (also known as Nitaqat). According to the saudization policy implemented by the Ministry of Labour & Social Development, companies must hire Saudi nationals and expats on a quota basis, which favours the former. Almost two million expats have left Saudi Arabia since 2017 within the scope of a 2020 National Transformation Program, with no signs of an end to the mass exodus.
Taiwan
More and more qualified professionals are betting on Taiwan as an expat destination.
The country seems to be coming out of the shadows making a notable entry into the top 20 countries that are attracting more and more qualified professionals. The study published last month, and conducted by the Institute for Management and Development (based in Switzerland), looks at the capacity of states to grow, to become more attractive, and to attract new foreign talent. How can we explain spurt of attractiveness of Taiwan to foreign professionals?
Health system
On 25 November, the Kingdom of Kuwait added diabetes, a non-contagious health problem, to its existing list of contagious diseases that prevents expats from living in the country. This, however, is not an unusual move. A lot of countries deny entry to expats having specific medical conditions...
France
They said they would so they did. December 5th, marked the beginning of a new general strike movement in France. Causing mayhem is the pension reform announced for the end of year. The government is following the case closely. A year after the beginning of the yellow vest movement, is it regaining momentum?
Germany
The "Skilled Worker Immigration Act", introduced earlier this year by the German Federal Government, will be coming into effect as from March 1, 2020. The aim would be to cut down labour immigration to Germany regarding third-country nationals. In short, not everyone will be able to move to Germany for work or vocational training. Profiles will be screen individually to meet the country's needs.
Everyday life
Food has always been one of the most important and most common means of exchange between people. It is a never-ending trend as it borders between necessity and pleasure. Food represents comfort and a moment of happiness, as some even say that “love comes through the stomach”. Our fond memories of tastes and smell enable us to travel through time and space and to feel what we felt in one moment of bliss.
Perhaps second only to country of choice, one of the most important decisions we make as expats is whether to rent or buy a property. For temporary employment overseas, this is rarely a consideration, but for those relocating permanently, whether for retirement, lifestyle-change or some other reason, deciding whether to rent or buy is a major decision.
Everyday life
Denmark has just launched a six-month programme to help expatriates integrate. Indeed, leaving everything behind to settle in an entirely new country is never an easy thing to do. Just like Denmark, some countries seek to make things a little easier on expats by providing them with integration courses. Here are the countries that do and the different forms these programs take.
If you're planning to move abroad, driving conditions in your destination is not likely to be a decisive factor (or it might be, who knows?). Either way, it is always interesting to know what to expect. Here are the best and worst cities for drivers according to the Driving Cities Index 2019.
France
Lyon is France's oldest and second largest city, a leading silk producer in Europe and was also known for its printing presses and mercantilism. To this day, this French city is still a financial and business hub as recognized by Arthur Loyd Law Firm when it ranked it top most attractive city in France for the third year in a row. For expats searching for a place to settle, Lyon is an excellent option to work and reside.
Canada
Recent developments suggest that Canada has not only already established itself as another Silicon Valley but is actually also promoted and acknowledged by major technical giants as a good alternative to the existing Silicon Valley in the USA.
Everyday life
Turn on a television, open a newspaper, click on social media and it feels as though everyone is talking about terrorism. As the Institute for Economics & Peace releases its Global Terrorism Index 2019, we take stock of the situation and we ask the question: “Should the prospect of terrorism deter anyone from settling abroad?”
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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