For African Expats, It's a Tough Road Home
CNN (10/27/10) Ridgeway, Eliza
As much as they may want to return to their homeland and fight brain drain, it is often difficult for African expatriates to give up the opportunities they find overseas and go back to their much-smaller economies at home. About one-third of students in Botswana, Namibia, and Swaziland study abroad according to UNESCO, compared to one out of 250 North American students. And once they have a taste of opportunity in the United States, Europe, or China, it is difficult to find the same opportunity back home. South Africa has had a dramatic increase in corporate opportunities, but the economy is “just too small to accommodate the kind of jobs they want to do,” said one South African businessman working toward an MBA at Oxford. "This group of people, despite how important they are to the continent, are having the darndest time connecting to opportunities back home," said Okendo Lewis-Gayle, president of Harambe Endeavor, an alliance of African students and young professionals. His organization is launching entrepreneurship and microfinance programs in various African countries, but there are obstacles—a near-complete lack of venture capital, and a tendency for older people not to take younger people seriously. But things are starting to change, and foreign investors are starting to see potential in Africa.

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Azerbaijan Toughens Visa Rules; Expats Concerned
Assa-Irada Newsfeed (10/18/10)
Expatriates in Azerbaijan are concerned after the government announced it would no longer issue visas to foreign nationals at the Baku airport, and the U.S. embassy is advising Americans looking to enter the country to contact the Azerbaijan embassy in Washington. Visas will still be issued to diplomats and officials, but only with a special invitation or an agreement with diplomatic sources and those arriving without visas may be detained. Government officials say the measure is not unusual, noting that one cannot receive a visa at any U.S. airport. CIS country nationals do not fall under the new rule, as they need only to register with the State Migration Service if they stay for longer than 90 days. But Alovsat Aliyev of the Center for Legal Assistance to Migrants noted Azerbaijan does not have embassies in all countries, so it will be difficult for some to obtain a visa before arriving.

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Tibetans Find a Canadian Shangri-La
CanWest News Service (10/18/10) McDowell, Adam
Canada is experiencing a surge in its Tibetan expatriate population, with the community centering mostly in Toronto. In the 2006 census there were 4,275 Tibetan residents in Canada, triple the number in the 2001 census, and many expect the 2011 numbers to be closer to 7,000. If estimates are correct, Canada would have the fourth largest Tibetan population in the world. Tibetans are supported politically in Canada, with their main champion being the Canadian Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, a coalition of about 70 senators and MPs from all parties, and the peaceful, non-violent Tibetan movement appeals to politicians across party lines. This creates some tension with China, a major trading partner, and Parliament has ignored Chinese objections to ties with the Tibetan government-in-exile. Indeed, in 2004 Paul Martin became the first prime minister to meet with the Dalai Lama and the Harper government granted him honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006, which China called “disgusting conduct.” Next up on the activist agenda is attempting to convince mining companies to pull out of Tibet until Tibetans have given consent, but despite their comfort with the Canadian political system, Tibetans there say the ultimate goal is to return home to a free Tibet.

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China’s Second Tier Cities? The Third and Fourth Tiers Are Catching Up
China Briefing (10/26/2010) Devonshire-Ellis, Chris
Most of the cities considered “second tier” in China, such as Chengdu, Dalian, Nanjing, Qingdo, Shenzhen, Suzhou, and Tianjin are now so well-established with infrastructure, international airports and schools, and modern conveniences that they are fully mainstream, which means they are also now more expensive. Indeed, the average second-tier city now has salaries at 62 percent of first-tier cities, far from the former average of 30 percent, making these cities much less of a bargain. But third-tier cities are not far behind, at about 90 percent of the salary of second-tier cities. It is likely that relocating a factory from a second-tier city to a third-tier city to save money will no longer be worth the effort. Some cities are cheaper than others, though, so a careful evaluation should root out some bargains.

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Europeans Are the Biggest Earners in Dubai
Emirates Business 24/7 (United Arab Emirates) (10/20/10)
A new income survey from Dubai Statistics Center finds that European expatriates are the highest-paid group in Dubai, earning Dh172,000 per year on average compared to Dh11,800 for Emiratis and Dh102,000 for Arabs. Europeans have higher salaries because they tend to work in senior positions and the exchange rate with their home country is also considered in the equation, according to the Center’s CEO, Arif obaid Al Muhairi. Income for Europeans was slightly lower than the previous year, but the decline was mostly nominal rather than real, according to Al Muhairi—many Europeans work as investors and, for example, if they trade automobiles and the price of cars falls, their revenues fall.

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Freer Intra-E.U. Shifts for Foreign Professionals
Business Standard (India) (10/28/10) Aiyar, Pallavi
Highly qualified foreign workers make up only 1.7 percent of the employed population within the European Union, but the equivalent figure is nearly 10 percent for Australia, over 7 percent in Canada, and 3.2 percent in the United States. Many say changes must be made to make it easier for companies to bring in the help they need so that the E.U. can stay competitive. The E.U. has an integrated market for goods but not for services, so Indian software companies are having an especially difficult time getting their employees where they need to go. If a company wins a contract that applies across the continent, currently non-E.U. employees will have to go home to India to get a new visa for each E.U. country they need to visit. And there is a lack of consistency among the 27 member states—in the Czech Republic it can take 16 weeks to get a visa, and in Germany it takes six weeks. The European Commission has recently proposed a new rule on “intra corporate transferees” which should alleviate some of the problem by standardizing rules for combined visa and work permit applications across all member states, imposing a maximum 30-day processing time, providing immediate family reunification, and allowing non-E.U. citizens working in Europe to move to another member state without having to get a new permit. It will not cure all problems though, as it will leave it to member states to decide whether to give work permits to spouses, and they may also impose immigration quotas.

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Germany to Make It Easier for Up to 300,000 Immigrants to Have Qualifications Recognized
Canadian Press (Canada) (10/19/10) Moulson, Geri
Germany is planning to issue new legislation that will allow foreign workers to get recognition of their qualifications more quickly so that they can work. The country has a shortage of skilled workers, which is expected to worsen as the population ages, and government officials are trying to get more skilled foreigners to fill the gap. Under the new rules, foreign workers’ diplomas or other qualifications earned in their home countries will be more quickly approved so that they do not have to take unskilled work while waiting for their credentials to be verified. About 300,000 immigrants in the country have “a much higher professional potential on the basis of the degrees they have than they can so far bring to bear here,” said government spokesman Steffen Seibert.

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Demand for More International Schools in Malaysia
The Star (Malaysia) (10/26/2010)
Malaysia’s Education Ministry is working with local providers to build more international schools in the country to help attract more expatriates as well as overseas Malaysians. The expanding expat population has driven the growth of international schools by 10 percent in the past five years, and the ministry’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit has named 10 private education providers to embark on an expansion program starting in the new year. The ministry will establish a special team to monitor their progress and start a marketing campaign to attract new providers both locally and internationally.

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Mozambique: Employers Warn of Skills Shortage
allAfrica.com (10/26/10)
At a meeting of Mozambique’s Consultative Labour Commission, private sector employers said the country is still struggling with a shortage of skilled labor that will hurt its competitiveness and that companies have no choice but to bring in foreign workers to fill the gap. Justino Chemane, representative of employers on the commission, said the source of the problem is the country’s poor education system, which does not produce skilled workers. He said that to compete against its neighbors, the country must bring in more skilled foreigners to achieve the same levels of efficiency and production. The workers can add great value and should have a defined contract with a specific length of stay, he added. Unions say that foreigners should only be used when there are no Mozambicans available, but many companies violate the law by recruiting foreigners when there are locals available.

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Expats More Than Double in the Last 10 Years
BusinessWorld (Philippines) (10/20/10) Alegado, Antonio Siegfrid O.
The Philippines issued twice as many alien employment permits in 2009 than in 2000 and employment has also doubled over the period, which many say is a result of increased foreign investment. The number of permits rose by 119 percent over the decade as companies’ need for foreign labor rose, according to the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics. The largest group of foreign workers was Japanese until 2006, when Koreans began to outpace them. The main reason for the influx is strength in the auto parts industry and a rise in infrastructure projects in the country, according to Rene E. Ofreneo, professor at the University of the Philippines School of Labor and Industrial Relations. Indeed, the majority of workers were in the manufacturing sector, followed by real estate, renting and business activities, transportation, storage, and communications.

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Fewer Foreigners Wanted in Singapore
Asia Times (10/28/10) Wijaya, Megawati
The government of Singapore has modified its rules on qualification for permanent resident status, making it more difficult to qualify and signaling an end to the city-state’s long tradition of an open-door immigration policy. Investors and entrepreneurs must now make a $2.5 million minimum investment to qualify--more than twice the previous minimum of $1 million—and their companies must have annual turnover of $30 million, triple the former limit of $10 million. For professionals and skilled workers, there are now higher minimum incomes and residential requirements, and renewals are now for just one year rather than five. The government may also force some permanent residents to take up Singapore citizenship or leave the country. The measures are a response to high unemployment overseas and the large number of foreign workers in the country, where one in three is a foreigner, and many say the government is taking action to preserve its position in an election year. Indeed, in a 2008 local newspaper poll, 90 percent of Singaporeans said they worried about losing their job to a foreigner, and 43 percent said they felt the government cared more about foreigners’ welfare than that of locals.

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Geneva Expats Worry about Housing and Crime
Swissinfo (10/19/10) Bradley, Simon
Expatriates living in Geneva cite crime as one of their biggest concerns, according to a poll from the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations. While the top concern was finding housing, according to 51.8 percent of respondents, crime took second place at 17 percent and transportation was in third place at 14.3 percent. About 33 percent of respondents said there was a “substantial deterioration” in security and 45 percent said it had “worsened slightly.” Still, 92 percent said they would recommend Geneva to family and friends and 77.3 percent said they have a good quality of life there, with only 18.7 percent calling it “average” and 4 percent saying it is “bad.” Geneva has the country’s highest crime rates, based mostly on burglaries, petty crime, and drugs, and in March 2010 the Geneva councilor in charge of the police called the situation “frankly worrying.” About 12 percent of expats say their homes have been burglarized and 11.6 percent say they have been mugged in the street.

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New Foreign Labor Rules Applauded
TMCnet.com (10/26/10)
Thailand has eased rules for employing migrant workers and increased tax incentives for international procurement centers (IPCs), two moves that companies say will help make the country more attractive to foreign investors. Foreign companies with an established presence in Thailand will benefit greatly from the tax incentives according to Junichi Mizonoue, president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok, adding that it may help attract more companies that are now using Singapore as a regional hub. The normal tax rate is 30 percent, but the government lowered the tax on IPCs to 15 percent. Up to three employees of foreign manufacturers will have a five-year flat rate of 15 percent personal income tax, and foreign workers may account for up to 15 percent of the total workforce for companies that have been in Thailand for at least 20 years with an investment of 10 billion and a workforce of 10,000. A lack of unskilled Thai labor has constricted companies’ ability to expand, Mizonoue says, and the easing of restrictions will especially help automotive and electronics companies.

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Foreign Worker Numbers Surge
Daily Mail (UK) (10/19/10) Doughty, Steve
The number of foreign workers in Britain has risen to a first-ever high of more than 2.4 million after a wave of arrivals in the spring from Poland and other Eastern European countries. There are now 551,000 Eastern European workers in the country, also an all-time high, while Britons lost hundreds of thousands of jobs during the recession. There are now five million native Britons out of work, and some government officials are promising a cap on immigration to protect British jobs.

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Executives Reluctant to Move for New Job
Wall Street Journal (10/28/10) Wessel, David
The overall job market seems to be improving, but the housing bust is discouraging U.S. managers and executives from moving to take new jobs. According to a survey of successful job seekers by outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, only 6.9 percent of unemployed managers and executives who found new jobs in the third quarter relocated for that position, down from 13.4 percent in the same quarter a year earlier. John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of the firm, explained that demand within the housing industry is not at a level that would force companies to look for talent outside of their region. As the economy improves and local talent pools become depleted, "some large companies might have the financial ability to increase their relocation budgets and help offset the difference between the home value and selling price," he said.

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Immigrants in the West Aren't Going Away
BusinessWeek (10/21/10) Viscusi, Gregory
While various Western government officials are taking stances against immigration—for example, France has banned headscarves and anti-immigrant parties in Sweden and the Netherlands are gaining in popularity—in actuality little has been done to remove immigrants. No country can survive without immigration and no one is actually calling for that, according to Jean-Pierre Garson, head of the Paris unit of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “They can’t,” he says. “Parts of the economy would grind to a halt.” Indeed, one waste-treatment worker from Mali has been in France for several years and has been ordered by the government to leave six times, but rather than firing him, his employer has joined with other companies to seek residency for their workers. “If we didn’t have access to foreign workers, we simply wouldn’t be able to do our work,” one employer said. After finding out that 18 of his workers had false documents, he says, “there was never any question of us abandoning people who have worked hard for us all these years, doing jobs that natives don’t want to do.” In the U.S., CEOs of large companies such as News Corp., Delta Air Lines, Xerox, and Marriott International are trying to get laws passed that will make it easier for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship.

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Congress Mulls Multiple Bills to Reform H-1B Visa Program
Network World (10/25/10) Bort, Julie
Congressional members have introduced more than 200 bills aimed at modifying the U.S.'s visa rules, which govern how foreign workers become eligible for U.S. technology jobs. Some of the bills seek to restrict a company's ability to import workers, while others try to make it easier to get visas or keep foreign workers once they are in the United States. For example, H.R. 5397 and S. 887 impose several restrictions on the use of H-1B and L-1 visas, such as prohibiting methods that prioritize visa workers over U.S. workers. H.R. 4321 involves comprehensive immigration reform. H.R. 4259 expands the eligibility of EB-5 visas and adds a $2,500 application fee. S. 2804 restricts employers from getting visas for foreign workers if they have had large layoffs of U.S. workers. S. 3029 and H.R. 5193 create a new visa for foreign entrepreneurs backed by venture capitalists. H.R. 1791 allows aliens who have earned a Ph.D. in the U.S. in science, technology, engineering, or math to stay permanently. H.R. 5658 increases the cap on H-1B visas by 20 percent. None of the bills has yet to make it out of a committee.

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