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As Countries Shut Out Migrants, Canada Warned It Will Become the New Safe Harbor
Globe and Mail (CAN) (12/16/09) Friesen, Joe
The ongoing recession is changing patterns of migration across the globe, as many of the world’s richest countries are cutting immigration targets to protect their labor markets and offering incentives for expatriates to go home. But Canada has resisted the trend, and some officials are concerned that this will make the country a target for migrants who could not get into other countries. Asylum claims have already increased significantly, and a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says that some human trafficking groups are encouraging people to make refugee claims in Canada due to its generous asylum system. A report produced by the Canada Border Services Agency but not intended for public review warns of a wave of migrants from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, but also recommends against reducing immigration. There is likely to be political unrest in migrants’ home countries and sending them home will only exacerbate the problem, the report says, by further destabilizing them and boosting human trafficking and organized crime. “You're going to be exporting political instability by exporting workers into regions already fragile politically and economically,” says immigration lawyer Richard Kurland. “In the short term, protecting foreign workers who are already in Canada is the gateway to future economic growth.”

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Number of Foreign Workers in CR Falling for Over Year
Prague Daily Monitor (12/09/09)
For more than a year the number of legal foreign workers in the Czech Republic has been declining as many have lost their jobs due to the financial crisis, according to the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry. More than 47,000 foreigners lost their jobs since January and in November alone 2,550 were laid off. The largest population of foreign workers comes from Slovakia, with 99,500, followed by the Ukraine with 60,000 and Poland with 20,000. The number of Vietnamese has plummeted from 16,000 last December to just 3,900 today. A government program that offers free travel home along with a financial stipend has been utilized by more than 2,000 foreign workers. The unemployment rate was 8.6 percent at the end of November and experts say it will continue to climb until the summer, possibly hitting 10 percent.

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Global Companies Find Cultural Training Is More than Etiquette
USA Today (12/22/09) Yu, Roger
As more companies initiate and develop international operations, many are realizing that language barriers are not the only cultural differences that must be overcome in the global economy. In order to avoid misunderstandings caused by cultural differences, multinational corporations have started cultural training programs to educate employees about these differences. Initially, cultural training began as overly simplistic lists of the do's and don'ts of doing business in a particular country. More recently, however, such programs have evolved with the goal of instilling "realistic cultural empathy" amongst multinational employees, says Gary Weaver of American University's Intercultural Management Institute. This new mindset has become even more important as countries in the Middle East and Asia have become major players in international business. In order to meet the needs of companies doing business in and with these countries, intercultural trainers have begun tailoring lessons to the specific goals of each client. That being said, certain lessons about cultural awareness are almost universal. For example, Western companies working in Asia and the Middle East should be conscious of personal relationships that are far more valued as part of business relationships in these regions. This difference means that employees should avoid business talk during social engagements and instead make an effort to get to know their international business partners. Westerners must also be aware that time management works differently in other cultures. While most Americans are used to meetings with very specific time tables, their international partners are much more flexible. Additionally, Westerners should pay particular attention to the organizational hierarchy in Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American companies, as professional titles and age carry much more weight in these cultures. Without an understanding of these differences American managers can quickly become frustrated by how hierarchy effects communication in international workplaces.

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Hiring of Foreign Workers Gets Business Vote of Confidence
Business Wire (12/21/09)
A new survey from the Economist Intelligence Unit indicates that most business leaders still believe migration is good for business despite the increasing pressure on politicians to protect jobs for locals because of the ongoing global recession. Seventy-five percent of respondents said that foreign workers are good for the economy and 71 percent say they help make companies more competitive, while 57 percent say they have not changed hiring practices for foreign workers because of the recession. The survey indicates that business leaders do not agree with politicians that protectionism is the way to go, favoring instead open economy and economic migration to drive a recovery, says Western Union COO--designate Hikmet Ersek. But 88 percent of respondents said they face some major challenges in hiring foreign workers, with 27 percent citing regulations as an obstacle and 40 percent saying it is difficult to hire foreigners for low-skilled jobs. Despite their views, very few businesses are publicly advocating for change, the survey finds. Just 15 percent said they have asked the government to ease immigration laws and just 8 percent are using their own company name to advocate for change. The survey collected responses from 501 senior executives. Fifty-seven percent of the organizations represented have annual global sales over US$500M and included a range of industries. Twenty-six percent of respondents were from North America, 28 percent from Asia-Pacific and 27 percent from Europe; the remainder hailed from Latin America and Middle East/Africa.

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Expat Confusion as India Stiffens Visa Rules
London Times (12/24/09) Page, Jeremy
The unexpected introduction of tougher visa rules in India has thrown thousands of British citizens' travel plans into disarray. The new plans were issued in November, apparently in response to the arrest in Chicago of a U.S. citizen of Pakistani origin suspected of helping to plan the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Under the old rules, tourists on five- or 10-year visas could stay in India for long periods while being required to leave the country every 180 days, but the new rules mandate that regular visitors must leave the county for at least two months between stays. Indian officials have verified that they are going forward with the new rules to deter abuse of long-term tourist visas and to align India's regulations with those of other nations. Nationals from 14 countries qualify for long-term visas, which are frequently used by American and British citizens to circumvent the difficult process of acquiring a business or employment visa.

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More than 50 Percent of 2004 Foreign Workers Have Left
Irish Times (Ireland) (12/24/09) Smyth, Jamie
Ireland’s Central Statistics Office is reporting that more than half of the 118,000 foreign nationals who came to work in Ireland in 2004 have likely left the country. That year the EU added 10 new member countries, opening the floodgates to thousands more foreign workers. But today just 57,112, or 52 percent, of those who received public service numbers that year are working or claiming social welfare, and the number of new arrivals is down nearly a third as well, from 226,800 in 2006 to 127,695 in 2008. The numbers indicate that the recession is leading many migrants to return home and discouraging many from going abroad.

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Kuwait MPs Pass New Labor Law; Sponsor System Stays
Agence France Presse (12/23/09)
On Dec. 23, the Kuwaiti parliament passed a new labor law granting better rights and conditions for foreign workers in the private sector, while retaining a system under which all such workers must be sponsored by a Kuwaiti employer. Among the rights granted to expatriate workers through the parliament's actions are better annual leave, holidays, and end of service indemnities. The law also establishes stiffer penalties, including jail time, for businessmen who trade in visas or who recruit workers and then fail to provide them with jobs or regular wages. The bill mandates the Kuwaiti government to implement a minimum wage for certain professions. Over 2 million expats make their home in Kuwait.

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Laos Mulls 'Honorary Citizenship' for Returnees
Earthtimes (12/21/09)
Laos is considering legislation that would grant "honorary citizenship" to Lao expatriates who return to live in country. An estimated 300,000 Lao fled their homeland after December 1975, when the country became communist. The Lao National Assembly in July approved a measure that grants foreigners and Lao expatriates the right to own land in Laos if they invest a large amount of money into the country.

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Mexico Bracing for Fewer Emigrants Returning Home, Lost Remittances
Dallas Morning News (TX) (12/17/09) Cochado, Alfredo
About 1 million Mexican expatriates usually return home for the holidays to bring gifts and reconnect with their families, but the struggling economy and increased violence in Mexico means far fewer will be returning this year. Perla García de Valencia said she told her daughter, Isabela, to stay in Texas this season. “Mexico is not safe, and where are the jobs?” Perla says. “There’s nothing here in Mexico.” And those expats who are staying away are also sending less money home, which hurts Mexican communities financially as well. The amount sent home in the third quarter was 35.8 percent lower than last year, from 2008’s record $2.6 billion to $1.6 billion. Immigrants often return home in new cars packed with gifts, which makes them a target for crime, and the government is trying to devise a secure passage for them. The town of Matamoros has marines stationed at the border to protect travelers and there are more than 1,300 volunteers monitoring airports, bus stations, and highways to help with security. Ciudad Juárez has the biggest crime problem, as it is the main entry point for tens of thousands of expatriates, and more than 2,500 people have been killed there this year alone compared to 1,600 last year.

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Morocco's Female Expatriates Encouraged to Boost Development at Home
Magharebia (Tunisia) (12/24/09) Touahri, Sarah
At a recent forum on Moroccan women and migration, participants stressed that female Moroccan expatriates should help women back home by sharing their knowledge of the world. The forum was the second of its kind, attracting 400 delegates from 20 countries to discuss how women living abroad can assimilate and help Moroccan development at the same time. “They should retain their ties with this country while integrating into the countries they live in,” said Yasmine Abd al-Fadel, who lives in Canada. Some attendees suggested the establishment of a knowledge-sharing center for women in Morocco and abroad that would include a forum for younger female expatriates. Some also suggested creating a database to track Moroccan women living abroad as well as knowledge-sharing networks specifically for female investors and politicians. Nouzha Skelli, Moroccan Minister of Social Development, said that migration is much more diverse than in the past and there are Moroccans of various social statuses living abroad, all with different needs, and called on expats to get more involved in research and monitoring. Driss El Yazami, president of the Council of the Overseas Moroccan Community, said there has been much progress since last year’s forum, which led to legal assistance for Moroccan women abroad and special assistance to those in Gulf countries.

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Restrictions on Foreign Workers Irk SMEs: Survey
Business Times Singapore (12/09/09) Chay, Felda
A new survey of small and medium companies in Singapore has found that many are not happy with the government’s restrictions on hiring foreign workers. Respondents to the survey, conducted by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce Industry, said they hire foreigners because they can not find local workers and that their low turnover makes for a more stable workforce. Among the 328 companies surveyed for the poll, most came from the manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, construction, transport, and storage industries. About 45 percent said they dislike the foreign worker quota and 40.5 percent said they dislike the levy imposed in hiring foreigners, which ranges from S$150 to S$470 per worker. Some industries have more need for foreign workers due to the labor-intensive nature of the work, the survey says, with many respondents saying that locals dislike manual labor and the irregular hours and low pay offered in many of the jobs. The survey recommends that the government adjust the quota for different industries.

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Tips for Expats' Tax Settlement
Korea Herald (12/23/09)
Korea’s National Tax Service is offering to help expatriates working in the country to file their taxes through various programs that help non-Koreans with the language barrier and tax procedures. There were 242,000 foreigners filing year-end tax returns in 2006 in Korea, and last year the number had risen to 345,000. The government noted that all workers must file tax returns and urged foreigners to check for any changes to tax laws so they do not miss any qualified deductions when preparing their documentation. Some deductions include insurance premiums, medical expenses, education, housing funds, credit card usage, private pension plans, pension and retirement savings, home-buying savings, professional membership fees, and long-term equity savings. Foreigners who have worked in the country for at least one year are qualified for all deductions. There are also special rules for foreign engineers working on a technology-transfer contract or as a researcher in science technology, and teachers whose home country offers a tax exemption for teaching also receive an exemption in Korea. Expats can call the Government Call Center for help with their taxes, which includes interpretation services in 17 languages.

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A Tale of Two Cities: What French Bankers in London Really Think
Guardian Unlimited (UK) (12/10/09) Moya, Elena
French expatriates living in London were in some ways glad to hear that France plans to tax bonuses in the same way as the United Kingdom, as it makes them less likely to leave Britain. Many French bankers who live in London’s “Little Paris” area say that it is unfair to tax bonuses at all, but they are relieved to know they would not be making more money if they stayed home in France. A group of French expats dining at Chelsea’s Walton Street said they do not understand why Sarkozy is following Britain’s lead, and they have no plans to leave London. “We really love Britain: the civic sense, the parks – and people are less depressed as well,” said one banker’s wife. A consultant added that he prefers the Anglo-Saxon way of life. "It would be hard to go back to France, where things are more contrived," he said. "There, work is more regulated, it's all red tape, and in the end there's no time to do the real work.”

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Chinese College Students Flocking to U.S. Campuses
USA Today (12/08/09) Marklein, Mary Beth
The United States is increasingly becoming the educational destination for Chinese college students. Nearly 100,000 Chinese graduate and undergraduate students flooded U.S. colleges and universities in 2008, attracted by the schools' eminence and their homeland's focus on academic excellence. The Institute of International Education reports that an 11 percent boost in U.S. undergrad enrollments last year was mainly fueled by a 60 percent increase from China. Grad student enrollments rose 2 percent. The main reason U.S. college officials give for reaching out to international students is to reflect the increasingly global nature of the modern business world. Hosting foreign students in the United States also yields economic advantages, including about $18 billion injected into the national economy through tuition and living expenses in 2008, according to the Institute of International Education.

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Zimbabwe Finance Minister Proposes Expatriate Tax, Offering Absentee Ballot
Voice of America News (12/16/09) Nyaira, Sandra
The three million Zimbabweans living outside the country may soon have to pay an annual tax to retain their citizenship and enjoy privileges such as voting via absentee ballots, a proposal that Zimbabwean Finance Minister Tendai Biti included in a recent national reconstruction report. Most of the expats live in South Africa and the United Kingdom and Bit says the country needs their help to raise capital. The report also says that many of the migrants are highly skilled professionals and that Zimbabwe needs their expertise at home, so the government should find ways to bring them back, even only for short periods. Such “non-pecuniary remittances” would be even more valuable than funds from taxes, the report states, as the country’s health and education sectors are suffering from the brain drain.

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