- Home » Expat News » Visas
Expat Visas News
Latest 10 news items tagged Visas
17 Jun at 6 PM 2013
Innocent tourist family arrested due to airline drugs record
The arrest and punishment of an innocent French family by immigration officers at Thailand’s Phuket Airport is being explained away as a mistake by Phuket’s governor. French holidaymakers Damien Della Libera, his partner Eloide Triche and their daughter Oxanna were arrested when they were honest enough to realise they and several other passengers had taken a wrong turn out of the airport and left without receiving their tourist visas. The arrest happened when they realised their mistake and returned to the airport to get their...
13 Jun at 6 PM 2013
Older Britons heading for retirement in South East Asia
As life gets more complicated in the traditional retirement destinations of Spain and France, an increasing number of British pensioners are living the expat dream in South East Asia. A combination of sunshine, great beaches, low living costs, established expat communities and retirement-friendly visa requirements is luring Brits to Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Malaysia, ‘My Second Home’ retirement visa was introduced in 2002, with over 20,000 expats now happily settled in the former British colony. Malaysia’s...
10 Jun at 6 PM 2013
Survey reveals worlds priciest cities for expat living
As currency variations threatening expat lives across the continents and crackdowns on immigration and work permits causing relocations, a new survey has identified the world’s 10 most expensive cities. The ECA International Survey found that Tokyo, considered the world’s most expensive city for three years, has been toppled from its unenviable number one position by Oslo, the capital of Norway. Reasons given were the high cost of labour and production in the Norwegian city, which drove prices to new heights in 2013. A beer in...
10 Jun at 6 PM 2013
Saudi Arabia floats plans to sack all native English teachers
In yet another move towards Saudization of its workforce, Saudi Arabia’s government has announced plans to sack all expat English language teachers. According to reports in local Saudi newspapers, the Gulf Kingdom will not renew the annual contracts of expat English language teachers working in its 10,000 government schools. The teachers are to be replaced by Saudi teachers with some knowledge of the language. Education officials were quoted in the daily Okaz Arabic language newspaper as saying that not only English language...
10 Jun at 4 PM 2013
Saudi government forbids expat wives sponsorship transfer
Back in March the Saudi Labour Ministry officially warned expats against allowing their wives or dependents with residency visas (iqamas) to work in the private sector, explaining that this violated Saudi residency laws and regulations. Moreover, those who have been sponsored are not allowed to work in any profession other than the one for which they have been recruited. Since then, there have been reports that the Labour Ministry is looking into the idea of issuing work permits to expats’ wives and daughters for jobs which Saudi women...
6 Jun at 10 AM 2013
Jason Kenney pushes Canada startup visa in Silicon Valley
Canada’s citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism minister Jason Kenney hit the ground running in his much-publicised recent visit to Silicon Valley. The new, innovative Start-Up Visa introduced recently with much fanfare is the first such in the world, and was presented by Kenney to the IT hub’s entrepreneur community. The minister stated that Canada is open for business and welcomes all skilled IT professionals having a tough time getting residence in the USA. During his visit, Kenney met up with a swathe of influential...
4 Jun at 6 PM 2013
Tory MPs say sell UK visas to highest foreign bidders
As the UK immigration debate rages on across the country, a group of Conservative members of parliament have come up with what they beleive is the answer. Visas to live and work in the UK, says the backbencher Free Enterprise Group, should be sold off to wealthy foreigners to the highest bidder at specialist visa auctions. This, they consider, would ensure that only those able to contribute significantly to the UK economy would be able to gain entry. Their plan for a market-based immigration system goes much further than the...
4 Jun at 6 PM 2013
Kuwait revokes expat driving licenses on traffic violations
Kuwaiti police are revoking thousands of driving licenses belonging to foreigners who commit traffic violations . Kuwait is now revoking the driving licenses of expats caught for traffic-related violations as well as impounding thier vehicles. To date, many thousands of licenses have been withdrawn. In addition, according to senior government official Major General Abdelfattah al-Ali, traffic police are now preparing to cancel the driving licenses of overseas students who have finished their courses as well as those of working...
3 Jun at 6 PM 2013
Swiss real estate prices to drop after immigration restrictions
Following the limitations on new migrant numbers introduced by the Swiss Government last month, the country’s booming house price index is expected to slow. According to Zuercher Kantonalbank, as immigration slows due to the reduction in permitted numbers, the pressure on the booming property market is expected to ease. High levels of immigration and the availability of cheap credit have fuelled the sharpest surge in house prices in the last 20 years. Strong economic growth coupled with a relaxation in immigration laws between...
30 May at 6 PM 2013
