USA Keeps Expat Ph.D Grads

It appears that fears that foreign students would not stay or be allowed into the USA after 9/11 is untrue. A recent survey has found 62% of foreign students who earn the Ph.D.s in the US stay. “Most foreigners who came to the U.S. to earn doctorate degrees in science and engineering stayed on after graduation—at least until the recession began—refuting predictions that post-9/11 restrictions on immigrants or expanding opportunities in China and India would send more of them home. Newly released data revealed that 62% of foreigners holding temporary visas who earned Ph.D.s in science and engineering at U.S. universities in 2002 were still in the U.S. in 2007, the latest year for which figures are available. Of those who graduated in 1997, 60% were still in the U.S. in 2007, according to the data compiled by the U.S. Energy Department’s Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the National Science Foundation.”

Read more from Wall Street Journal

Japan Enforces Strict Immigrations Laws During

Recession

As Japan clamps down on immigration as it battles with the ongoing world economic crisis. It is common practice in Japan for police to stop expats and ask for their identification. As an expat one should be prepared to show their documents immediately or face deportation. “Aggressive enforcement of Japanese immigration laws has increased in recent years as the country’s economy has floundered and the need for cheap foreign labor has fallen. Nationality in Japan is based on blood and parentage, not place of birth. This island nation was closed to the outside world until the 1850s, when U.S. warships forced it to open up to trade. Wariness of foreigners remains a potent political force, one that politicians dare not ignore, especially when the economy is weak. As a result, the number of illegal immigrants has been slashed, often by deportation, from 300,000 in 1995 to just 130,000, a minuscule number in comparison to other rich countries. The United States, whose population is 2 1/2 times that of Japan’s, has about 90 times as many illegal immigrants (11.6 million). Among highly developed countries, Japan also ranks near the bottom in the percentage of legal foreign residents. Just 1.7 percent are foreign or foreign-born, compared with about 12 percent in the United States. Japan held a pivotal election last year and voters tossed out a party that had ruled for nearly 50 years. But the winner, the Democratic Party of Japan, has so far done nothing to alter immigration policy.”

Read more from Washington Post

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Expat Life: Joys and Frustrations

Whether your an expat in China or another part of the world you very often face daily joys and frustrations. Sometimes expats can feel themselves becoming part of the nationality they live in and it might not always be for the best reasons. So why with all the ups and downs do expats do it? “Our wonderful Chinese friends, Eric and Cat, had a brilliant answer. They read somewhere that research has found that living an expatriate life stretches our brain. It stimulates creative ideas and also makes life more interesting, as we see new images, new people and have new experiences. I started to think maybe that’s it. That is why even though like Ray, many expats living in China have those “I hate China” days, they still choose to stay here. They focus on the positives, explore Chinese history, economy and culture, while meeting many colorful characters they would not have otherwise met.”

Read more from China Daily

2010 World Economic Forum, Davos

Expats are tuned into Davos as world leaders gather to discuss economics. Key on the agenda is not only economics, but climate change as well as the US-China relationship. “The global financial crisis and the stumbling efforts to tackle climate change have highlighted the mounting evidence that China is becoming the world’s second-most influential country after the U.S. A growing number of policy makers, economists and political analysts argue that the U.S.-China bilateral relationship is now the most important of all—and that the chances of managing the globalized world successfully will be slim unless these two powers, as different as yin and yang, can cooperate.”

Photo by World Economic Forum

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Expat Winter Weather

Expats in the US to the UK to China and beyond are all dealing with bitter cold and winter storm. The Washington Post highlights some great winter weather photos. As the weather still remain cold and the forecast calls for more snow take a little time in the warmth of your office or home by your computer to enjoy the photos.

Read more from The Washington Post

Life as a Finnish Expat

All expats should be able to appreciate Sami Sillanpää’s article on Finnish Expats. Expats around the world are faced with many of the same challenges and happiness -higher standard of living, moving in a months time, children in school, friends leaving, learning a new culture, deciding to repatriate “Finnish migration statistics show an interesting trend. Those leaving Finland are primarily Finns. Immigrants are mainly foreigners. Moving out of the country accelerated when Finland joined the EU. In the 21st century economic globalisation accelerated, and a new wave of internationalisation swept over Finnish companies. When a Finnish company moves its factory to China or establishes a sales office in Brazil, Finns are desired there as managers - at least at first.Finnish expatriates sent abroad by the companies that they work for currently number between 20,000 and 30,000, says Anna Iskala, editor-in-chief of the journal Expatrium, aimed at Finns abroad.”

Read more from HELSINGIN SANOMAT

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A British Take On Americans

Before moving overseas it is easy to get caught up in stereotypes. Pre-departure you might be worried about what others will think of you and what you will think of your new home country. Like many expats, Geoff Dyer, felt undecided about America and Americans, but after taking the time to get to this new country he seemed pleasantly surprised. “If the typical American interaction involves an ostensibly contradictory mixture of the formal (politeness), the casual and the cordial, what happens when one moves beyond the transactional? Like many Europeans, I always feel good about myself in America; I feel appreciated, liked. It took a while to realize that this had nothing to do with me. It was about the people who made me feel this way: it was about charm. Yes, this is the bright secret of life in the United States: Americans are not just friendly and polite — they are also charming. And the most charming thing of all is that it rarely looks like charm. The French put a rather charmless emphasis on charm, are consciously or unconsciously persuaded that it is either part of a display of sophistication or — and it may amount to the same thing — a tool in the service of seduction.”

Read more from NY Times

What Do Kids Think Of Expat Parents

Blogger Michel Loui begs the question, is it cool to be an expat parent? Are expat children embarrassed by there parents? The answer might lie some where in between some are and some aren’t. “All this navel-gazing that goes on with us expats about what its like to be an expat—what we miss, what we love about our host country, what its like to raise dual national kids, etc, is great for the support and humour it provides for other expats (and a little enlightenment for those who live with us), but something happened to me the other day to make me really wonder what its like for our kids, or step kids to have an expat parent. …For the first time in all this expat writing and opinion offering I decided to ask the kids. I have step-kids as well as one of my own and I wondered if there would be a difference…”

Read more from Mid-Atlantic English

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Find up-to-date information and tour dates here: http://bit.ly/expat-virtual-relo

ExpatFinder.com and Twinity.com offer the first virtual relocation service with pre-arrival tours of virtual Berlin and expatriate meetings to help relocating individuals, expatriates and their families.

Singapore/Berlin, November 2009 – ExpatFinder.com (http://www.ExpatFinder.com), the Singapore headquartered worldwide website today launched the first supportive virtual world relocation service to help expats and relocating individuals prior to their relocation or during their life overseas.

The collaboration with Metaversum GmbH, the makers of 3D mirror world Twinity, allows the team to create custom made tours of the “real world” like the virtual city of Berlin. Twinity is bringing the real and the virtual world closer together by building realistic replicas of the world’s most vibrant cities in 3D.

Those considering to move to real Berlin can now join free pre arrival tours and expat meet ups organized in a designated area of its virtual counterpart. From a home or office computer, expats and their families can download a free guide, meet at a personal guided tour and get an idea of the layout of the city, the distances involved and the amenities in the new location before they arrive. With Twinity expats can become acquainted with local networking groups and community meet-ups prior to arrival.

Pre-arrival tours of host destinations are already an established relocation tool and popular with expats and their families as a means of familiarizing themselves with their new location, but the partnership offers the chance to get a feel for a city or neighborhood without leaving home. Expats, their employers, service providers and local companies all have something to gain from the true to scale virtual world experience.

“As ExpatFinder.com is now one of the leading consumer resources for expats and relocation services on the internet, it was normal for us to explore new platforms to serve our users. Virtual Worlds like Twinity, are no longer the realm of gamers; they have become an important tool for a wider audience. Virtual Worlds now also have a role to play in expat relocation,” said Sébastien Deschamps, CEO ExpatFinder.com.

At a time when companies are cutting costs on expat packages in the real world, a realistic 3D mirror world like Twinity offers employers a cost effective set of tools to support new expat employees. The collaboration between ExpatFinder.com and Twinity also provides employers with an inexpensive means of involving an employee’s partner and children in the pre-arrival process of an expat assignment.

“Getting family members on board at an early stage of the relocation is crucial to the success of the overseas assignment; a lack of commitment from the family or partner is often the reason why a stint overseas fails,” explained ExpatFinder.com co-founder Sébastien Deschamps.

Using Twinity’s virtual world as a relocation tool adds another dimension to the expat experience and can provide expats with a powerful tool to help with their relocation and settling in to a new life abroad. ExpatFinder.com is already leading the way by helping consumers compare, connect and learn about products and services from hundreds of relevant providers. With Twinity, the company adds a new dimension and experience to connect with and learn about the new environment in which the expatriate will evolve: its destination city.

“We have been looking into virtual and augmented reality for some time now and it made great sense for us to partner with Twinity. As the first and leading virtual world focusing purely on “real people and real places”, their expertise will surely help us deliver a greater experience to relocating individuals, their families and employers.”

The mirror world Twinity is currently in public Beta. You can register for free at www.twinity.com and begin exploring the world today.

Find up-to-date information and tour dates here: http://bit.ly/expat-virtual-relo

Ends:

About ExpatFinder.com

French and French-American co-founders Francois and Sébastien Deschamps manage a portfolio of websites for the expatriates around the world. ExpatFinder.com was created to bring support to people and families in global transition or with international lifestyles. ExpatFinder.com is already the leading website in helping consumers compare, connect and learn about products and services from hundreds of relevant providers that are important during relocation or life abroad. ExpatFinder.com is managed by their co-founded Singapore based company: Interexpat Pte Ltd.. For more information visit: http://www.expatfinder.com

Media contact:
Andrew Peters
The Pacific West Communications
M: +65 94519012
E: andrew@thepacificwest.com

About Twinity.com

Metaversum develops and operates the 3D mirror world Twinity. The vision behind Twinity is to bring the real and the virtual world closer together by building realistic replicas of the world’s most vibrant cities in 3D. Berlin and Singapore have already launched in Twinity, with London set to join them soon. Twinity members can create a personal avatar, explore real cities virtually, move into a 3D home, chat with friends, work, get creative, or just have fun together.

Twinity offers businesses new ways of engaging with real people in real virtual cities. Through virtual shops and branded presences, inworld ad campaigns, product placements, and real and virtual sponsored events, Twinity lets you enter into a genuine, emotive dialog with your target group. Twinity is currently in public Beta and open for business. Founded in July 2006 and financed by leading venture capital firms, Metaversum has offices in Berlin, Singapore, Kiev, and Potsdam. More information can be found at www.metaversum.com and www.twinity.com.

Media contact:
Barbara Ecker
Manager Communication & Brand
Metaversum GmbH
T: +49 30 847 12 25 – 23
E: barbara@metaversum.com

Expat newcomers often leave China early

“Almost half of new expatriates leave China early because they have difficulty adjusting to the lifestyle, a consultancy firm said.

China Transition Institute (CTI) president David Israel-Rosen said most foreigners are unprepared for what life will be like when they arrive in China. “It is moving from the West to the East,” he said. “It is not like moving from Chicago to Denver.”

“If you look at the literature, between 30 percent and 50 percent of expats go home early. The failure rates are astonishing.”

Alan Kahn, vice president of marketing and communications for United Family Healthcare, said identity loss and depression are more widespread than many people realize.

“These are very real issues and they do have a significant impact,” Kahn said. “It is very hard to ever fit in fully and that can cause lots of serious problems,” he said.”

Read more from AsiaOne

The Six Entrepreneurs You Meet in China

“Forget those perceptions that the Chinese rip off good ideas. Their startups are as scrappy and risk-taking as those in Silicon Valley
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part Valley Girl series on entrepreneurs in China. The first three of six types of businessmen are featured below.

Before my first trip to China earlier this year, a well-known Silicon Valley venture capitalist told me I should go to Japan or Singapore instead. “Chinese people aren’t entrepreneurial,” he said. “They don’t create things. They’re just good at ripping them off.”

I won’t embarrass him by using his name here, but I’m glad I didn’t take his advice. I’ve spent five weeks on two trips to China this year, meeting with entrepreneurs in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. These startup founders are as scrappy and willing to take risks as their peers anywhere, at times even surpassing the people who flocked to Silicon Valley in the late 1990s.”

Read more from Sarah Lacy on Business Week

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Dog lost in Afghan battle returns

A sniffer dog lost in battle in Afghanistan 14 months ago has turned up safe and well and rejoined its Australian unit.

Defence officials said Sabi the dog was recovered by a US soldier at an isolated patrol base.

The dog returned to a celebrity welcome from visiting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and US commander Gen Stanley McChrystal.

Read more from BBCnews

Internationally Speaking

“GENEVA — Language mavens, be warned: This is not your usual language column, a scholarly take on the ways we speak at home. It’s a look at how we communicate when we live and work abroad.

A friend of mine who works for a multinational food company is being sent to Paris for an extended stay. Knowing I had made a similar move some years ago, for an advertising agency, he asked whether I thought he should take a few French lessons. He wasn’t sure; the company said language wouldn’t be a problem. (One of his predecessors, it seems, boasted that in three years in Paris he hadn’t spoken word of French.)”

Read more from NYtimes

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French Expats Take to the Polls

French nationals will take to the polls to elect eleven representatives of parliament (députies in the National Assembly) for expatriates. Although French expats already have 12 senators sitting in the Senat, this is the first time France is creating new constituencies to represent them in the National Assembly. British expats are allowed to continue to vote in their home area for up to 15 years after they have left the UK. While, American expats also do not have representation abroad are able to vote in their home state for both federal and local elections. “The campaign, which will centre on the area, follows legislation passed to give French citizens who live abroad their own MPs in the 2012 national elections. The law creates 11 constituencies for expatriates - a move that officials say is without precedent. “It is a challenge for us, because nothing similar has ever been done anywhere,” said Mr Fabre-Aubrespy. “No one has carved the world up into constituencies in this way”

Read more from London Evening Standard and TimesOnline

Tips for Living Happy in China

Expats who are coming and those who are going can appreciate this positive view of life in China. The author explains how to survive and enjoy your time abroad. The most important thing to remember is that although the article is speaking to expats moving to China, one can learn a lesson or two no matter where in the world your are living as an expat. “Beijing is kind of global village and I know so many different types of people from all over the world. And for while it’s very interesting, but 200 cultures for me is too many to really comprehend without simply stereotyping. Not in one lifetime anyway. China has taught me that the world is very huge, I am very small, and I’m just one of 6 billion, eating, drinking and trying my best to be happy. For some reason, this realization gives me peace and I’ll keep this healthy attitude for the rest of life.”

Read more from China Daily

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Taking control of your health in China

One expat in china tells his health tale while living abroad. He returns to the US to explore how other expatriates in China have faired and to ask the greater question of what you can do to maintain your health while in China.
“But like most outsiders who have spent time there, I naturally wondered: now that I’d recovered, would smoky urban China start killing me for real? The health situation for ordinary Chinese people is obviously no joke. After stalling, the Chinese government recently accepted a World Bank estimate that some 750,000 of its people die prematurely each year just from air pollution. Alarming upsurges in birth defects and cancer rates are reported even in the state-controlled press.”

Read more from The Atlantic

Expat Money in Europe

EU expatriates living in Europe are now able to set up direct debit banking in 32 countries in the region. This could be of useful to retired expats, international property owners as well as expats working abroad.
The European Payments Council (EPC), the coordination and decision-making body of the European banking industry in relation to payments, has unveiled the SEPA core direct debit scheme. For the first time ever, customers are now able to set up cross-border euro direct debit payments in 32 countries across Europe.

Read more from In the News

Expat Eco Expo Kuala Lumpur

If you are in Kuala Lumpur this weekend (Saturday 17th October, Sunday 18th October) be sure to check out the Expat Eco Expo, we will travel there to visit the different participants including the booth from our friend Andrea from ExpatWomen.

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
Hall 2 & 3
17th & 18th October 2009
10.00 am - 7 pm
Visit the website

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We take a look at Expat News of the day:

Expatriate workers have workplace rights no matter their visa status in the USA

  As an expat it can sometimes be difficult to understand to your rights as a worker in a foreign country. The USA is trying to break down the walls of confusion by publishing an easy to read pamphlet (also online) that is given to all foreign workers arriving in the country so that they may better know their rights. 

 “The United States is seen heading the field in countries where rights are provided for migrant workers including domestics, a big issue in West Asia. Comprehensive workplace rights for expatriates are available in the US, regardless of visa status, and hundreds of organizations can assist workers in filing complaints and pursuing legal claims against employers. With a few exceptions, all workers in the US have a right to form and join a union, regardless of their immigration status under federal law and employers cannot take action against them for doing so.

This means workers can join with other workers to improve wages and working conditions, attend public speeches, rallies and demonstrations as well. Workers are also entitled to leave a job if the employer is abusive. If individuals come to the US on an employed-based visa and leave the employer, the visa status will no longer be valid.”

Read more from Sunday Times.  

Brain Circulation: The New Type of Expat Career

  The expatriate worker is no longer simply getting posted to a developing world. There is a new trend of workers moving around the world where they are needed and sometimes that even means home.

 “Simon Fraser University business professor Rosalie Tung has, for the past 30 years, systematically studied international assignments–that is, how do companies select candidates for overseas postings, train them and assess their impact in a foreign setting? Instead of debating and tracking brain gain or drain, companies and policy-makers in Canada need to understand how a new set of executives is bouncing back and forth, again and again, between “dual beachheads” here and in Asia, chasing education and work opportunities with a steely focus on their own personal goals, she said.”

Read more from Calgary Herald  

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• Find answers to all your moving requirements.
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