Expat Citizenship News

17 Aug at 6 PM 2018

Expat-led environmental group holds cleanups in Turkey

Tidy Turkey is yet another of the world-wide initiatives to clean up beauty spots and beaches covered in human-deposited trash. Environmentally-friendly and like-minded expats and citizens come together for a full day of cleaning up selected areas, having fun and meeting new people at the same time. Lucy Tooze, a well-travelled Australian expat now living in Turkey, is the founder of the group which held its inaugural event on last year’s World Cleanup Day. Since then, a further seven events have been organised. Lucy told local...

15 Aug at 6 PM 2018

Wealthy expats in UAE join in Golden Visa rush

Demand for foreign citizenship by ultra-wealthy expats in the UAE has soared by 67 per cent over last year’s totals. Statistics compiled by a Dubai-based immigration firm show a rush to hedge their bets by wealthy expats in the UAE, with the GCC as a whole also seeing increased demand by around 30 per cent. The research seems to confirm the need amongst the entire region’s mega-wealthy expatriates to protect their assets and ensure secure futures for their families by purchasing second passports via Golden Visa schemes....

15 Aug at 6 PM 2018

Anti Brexit campaign group sets legal challenge against 2016 referendum

The pro-EU campaign group UK in EU Challenge has launched a legal fight claiming the Leave campaign breached electoral laws by spending over its limit by almost £700,000. Recently, the UK’s Electoral Commission found ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ that Vote Leave had cheated on the spending limit and attempted to hide its overspend. According to a press release by the group, in any general election and local authority referendum or election the court has the right to declare the vote null and void if cheating on spending is...

11 Aug at 6 PM 2018

Summer in the UAE means death for abandoned pets

Animal activists in the UAE are attempting to cope with the largest number of abandoned pets ever. Summer in the UAE sees expats and citizens heading off for their holidays, but an ever increasing number are leaving their pets on the streets to fend for themselves. Animal activists do their best, but are presently overwhelmed by the sheer number of abandoned pets. One rescuer told local media he’d found 60 cats, but due to a serious dearth of foster homes caused by a higher number than usual of expats leaving permanently there's no...

9 Aug at 6 PM 2018

Polish expats in UK urge ringfencing of rights post Brexit

Britain’s Polish community is urging May to guarantee their rights in the event of a hard Brexit. The Federation of Poles in Great Britain charitable organisation is now voicing concerns over the plight of Poles in the UK following a hard Brexit. The group hasn’t spoken before, but now believes it’s compelled to appeal on behalf of the more than a million Polish expats living, studying and working in the UK. Trepidation, it states, is now growing in the community due to increasing worries about non- involvement in discussions and...

9 Aug at 6 PM 2018

Dutch residency for US citizens getting harder

US expats are having increasing problems getting Dutch residency. The Netherlands’ popularity with expats is drawing ever-increasing numbers of US citizens to Amsterdam and other Dutch cities, but residency permits seem to be harder to get. Normally, American citizens have a head start as regards residency permits due to the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty which permits entrepreneurs to reside in the country. Requirements are straightforward and set in tablets of stone within the treaty, giving US expats an easy ride as regards...

1 Aug at 6 PM 2018

US expat SMEs in UK hammered by Trump tax law change

In spite of appeals to US lawmakers, US expatriate small business owners in the UK are caught up in IRS demands intended for multinationals which shift profits overseas. The Trump tax bill was signed into law last December, with new taxes introduced for corporate behemoths such as Microsoft which regularly move their profits overseas for tax purposes. However, unlike other provisions in the bill, the international changes don’t specify a financial profit point at which the law kicks in, forcing small and single-owner expat business...

1 Aug at 6 PM 2018

Expat remittances on hold as Saudi corruption crackdown bites

Expat professionals as well as Saudi businesses are now holding back on money transfers overseas. Due to a government crackdown on corruption earlier in the year, any attempt to send more than $30,000 outside the emirate is now being blocked by the government. According to local banks, many expats and their families are now afraid to send money home in case the government is monitoring their activities. The crackdown resulted in some 300 top business owners and wealthy investors being detained for weeks in Riyadh’s luxury...

1 Aug at 6 PM 2018

Old style retirees versus new style expat career junkies

Traditionally, the British expat exodus has been focused on retirees heading south for a fun life in the sun, but the focus is shifting to a more pragmatic stance based on a temporary stay. In earlier times, the word ‘expat’ conjured up a vision of overweight Brit retirees in shorts, sandals and singlets lounging in deckchairs on a French or Spanish beach far from the UK’s drizzles and downpours. Nowadays, it’s far different, as the vision is far more likely to portray millennials in smart suits attending board meetings or...

30 Jul at 6 PM 2018

Aspiring expats may decide to keep working after retirement

New research suggests Brit workers are planning to phase in their actual retirement. British citizens coming up to retirement age are Europe’s most likely to take on part-time jobs once they’ve officially retired. Literally three out of every four Britons surveyed are planning to keep working beyond retirement, either keeping on the same job or finding part-time employment. The study, undertaken by a popular pension provider, also noted the UK’s flexible access pensions as well as relaxations of employment rules are contributing...