Features
Work
In a globalized economy, finance professionals can gain a lot from moving to an international financial hub. It will give them invaluable work experience and add a competitive edge to their CV. Some cities, like New York and Singapore, have a long-standing reputation as financial hubs, while others like Luxembourg are only now emerging as top destinations.
Everyday life
While some parts of the world suffocate, Australia and Brazil experienced a record cold only a few weeks ago. Due to global warming, these climate variations directly impact expatriates.
Everyday life
Many expats are looking for a calm place away from the city and some end up moving to islands. Their expectations are high: they want a cheap, quiet and beautiful place where they can have the advantages of the metropolitan area while enjoying good weather and nature. But is that a myth or reality?
Everyday life
What drives individuals to move abroad? For some, it's a desire to improve their everyday life or boost their career overseas through a professional opportunity. For others, it's all about making a dream come true. But expatriation can also be an act of activism.
Work
Have you ever considered doing an internship abroad for a unique and enriching professional and personal experience? It can be an excellent way to enhance your skills. However, proper planning is the key to success, as in the case of any move abroad.
Work
Remote working, which was not so popular a few years ago, has been quite widespread since the Covid pandemic and successive lockdowns. Many countries even had to make it mandatory due to health restrictions. In 2021, with massive vaccination and the easing of barrier gestures, most companies reopened. Still, remote work has become the new norm for many employees. Some are even willing to work remotely from abroad, adding pressure to companies' operations and costs.
Everyday life
Schengen Visa Info reported in early July that Germany's Free Democratic Party (FDP), which is part of the ruling coalition, is proposing to make English a second official administrative language in all offices and agencies. The goal was to facilitate immigration procedures. However, the proposal has been opposed by the German Civil Servants' Association, which believes that two administrative languages will create legal confusion and excessive bureaucracy.
Tax
Short-term expatriates move abroad for several reasons: studies, work, volunteering, etc. Although they might believe after getting their visa and paper done when needed, that bureaucracy is over, some countries might require them to pay taxes. When can that happen?
Work
Nationalization policies, which have been in place for many decades, are being reintroduced or reinforced in several Middle East countries. The objectives are simple: to revive the economy and promote the recruitment of locals. What is the importance of such policies and what are the long-term consequences? How are expatriates experiencing it, and what jobs are open to them?
Everyday life
Dual citizenship is accepted in most countries, but it's not an option in the Netherlands or China, for example. Others, like Finland, accept dual citizenship under certain conditions. So what should you do if you're an expat in a country where you're not allowed to have dual citizenship? Does it mean that you have to give up on your nationality?
Work
Faced with labor shortages, countries and companies worldwide are compelled to review their recruitment policies. The newly introduced measures include salary raises, improving work conditions for expats, more straightforward visa processes, reorganization of work, work-life balance, and protection of mental health and well-being. These are expected to attract and retain foreign talent.
Everyday life
Millennials are keener on moving abroad for a better life. These young adults, mostly aged between 25 and 40, have experienced it all, from economic crises to the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and other geopolitical conflicts.
Everyday life
With Brexit, expats from the UK are having to go through a lot of red tape to update their documents, such as having a passport renewal. Modifications that seemed to be a smooth process are transforming into a real nightmare for Brits who live in countries without a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK.
Work
Repeated economic crises, including the Covid pandemic, plunged the world into one of the worst recessions in its history. This caused major upheavals in work structures and the rise of remote work and digital nomadism. So, where do expat packages stand amid all this?
Work
Today, most people who want to work abroad have new priorities. While high wages, career prospects and high living standards are the key motivators, health, work-life balance and quality of life are equally important, as evidenced by many global reports. The Covid pandemic has increased these needs even more.
Health system
The Covid pandemic has revealed flaws in health systems around the world, including organizational dysfunctions, lack of infrastructure and human resources, aging populations, skills shortage, demographic challenges, etc. Added to this already complex equation are expatriates, who also need healthcare.
Everyday life
For many years, Scandinavian countries, more often refered to as Nordic countries, have boasted an unparalleled quality of life. Indeed, they rank among the world's happiest countries in the world. The locals are the first to recognize their nation's "soft power". But for expats, is the grass really greener in Nordic countries? Or is it just a myth? Are expats able to fully adapt?
Everyday life
Not many expatriates participate actively in politics once they have moved abroad, which is the case worldwide. But does being an expat mean you are not allowed to get involved in your country or city's decision-making process?
Other Types
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.
USA
Another blow for foreigners in the United States. On May 22, a memo from the US immigration services introduced a new rule aimed at limiting legal immigration. Apart from a few exceptions, Green Card applications will now have to be filed from the applicant's country of origin. What is the current situation?
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