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Expat Citizenship News
Latest 10 news items tagged Citizenship
8 May at 6 PM 2013
Expat pensions increase blamed on Brits marrying Thai brides
As the frozen pension debate hots up, government sources in the UK have hit on the reason why pension payments to retirees living abroad are on the increase – Thai brides. This stunning conclusion apparently came about due to the discovery that sexy Thai ladies on internet dating sites were luring unsuspecting Brits into marriage in order to get their hands on the UK Government’s ungenerous, but still frozen, £67 a week married woman’s retirement pension. The government source was clearly not thrilled that these calculating...
3 May at 6 PM 2013
Canadian group protests deportation of wife of Canadian citizen
Hamilton residents will demonstrate in Toronto on Saturday in protest against the deportation to Egypt of the wife of a Hamilton man. The Reunite Wilkie Family Committee was formed after Wafaa Abdou, the Egyptian wife of Hamilton resident and Canadian citizen Ian Wilkie, was detained prior to deportation after her refugee claim was denied. The couple, who met and married in Egypt 12 years ago, were living in Syria when civil war broke out, and fled to Ian’s home town with their three young children. Immediately they arrived, Ian...
25 Apr at 6 PM 2013
Could USA immigration reform spark Canada’s own Silicon Valley
As the battle to reform the broken US immigration system drags on, other Western countries are introducing ultra-fast skilled worker visa programmes in the hope of grabbing top-tier innovators. Canada’s recently-announced Start-Up Visa Programme is one such, and the most comprehensive yet, aimed solely at entrepreneurs looking to start up innovative businesses. Paul Northcott, Citizen and Immigration Canada’s spokesman, describes the programme as targeting a new type of immigrant with the ability to start companies which will...
19 Apr at 6 PM 2013
Wealthy Chinese migrants look for unusual immigration destinations
As the present-day Chinese Diaspora gathers momentum fuelled by wealthier business people eager to stash their cash in safe locations, less obvious havens such as Portugal and St Kitts are emerging. Scared by the savings grab in Cyprus, unimpressed with the USA, disallowed in Canada and perhaps not quite rich enough for Australia, wealthy Chinese families are searching out unusual destinations with reliable banking laws. The small island of St Kitts is happily cashing in on demand, especially in the property sector, with shares in one...
12 Apr at 6 PM 2013
EC pressures France to backtrack on expat healthcare denial
The European Commission is pressurising France to reverse its denial of healthcare to expat retirees in the country. The ongoing row over health care for expat pensioners began in 2007, when the French government brought in new rules stating that EU member country retirees living in the country were only entitled to free healthcare after a residence period of more than five years or if they were over the official retirement age. The rules caused chaos for early and recently arrived retirees. Those affected were forced to buy...
8 Apr at 6 PM 2013
Expat residents in Beijing flee toxic pollution levels
The record toxicity of Beijing’s winter air pollution is likely to be followed by a massive expat exodus to cleaner air and fresher locations, according to senior expat executives in the city. Diplomats and the many businesses catering to the vast city’s large expat community are expected to leave as well. It’s not only pollution-wise expats who are planning to leave, as many thousands of Chinese citizens who have arrived in the capital for economic or business reasons are learning more about the effect of chronic pollution on...
7 Apr at 6 PM 2013
Social media highlights corruption for expat workers
Earlier this year, a minor corruption scandal involving an expat worker in Thailand and the tax authority hit Twitter and went viral. Immigration regulations in Thailand for those wishing to work require a dedicated work visa, work permit, tax certificates for renewals, and other hoops which need to be negotiated. The British expat who posted on Twitter was living and working legally in Thailand, with his problems beginning at his annual visa and work permit renewal. To extend his work permit for another year, a tax certificate...
3 Apr at 6 PM 2013
New Canadian immigration guide highlights Queen, marriage and military
The brand new guide produced for immigrants to Canada will focus on the country’s relationship with Queen Elizabeth, the Canadian armed forces and their role in defending the county and acceptable marriage customs. ' The tome, entitled Welcome to Canada, is twice the size of the previous guide and contains 146 pages. Personal experiences as migrants and lots of colour photographs enliven the guide’s pages and give it a welcoming tone, totally unlike the 2007 version, and it’s available as an e-book, at Canada’s major arrivals...
22 Mar at 6 PM 2013
Canadian immigration warns against migrant marriage fraud
Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Ministry is preparing to launch a campaign warning its nationals to beware of being caught by would-be migrants seeking an easy way to get into the country. Marriage fraud is an increasing problem both for the spouse who was duped into the marriage and for immigration, and the numbers unwittingly involved are soaring. A video will be uploaded to Canada’s immigration site telling the sad tale of three citizens who married and were immediately deserted. One woman met a Cuban man whilst on...
21 Mar at 6 PM 2013
