The most recent NatWest Personal Banking Quality of Life survey has reported that British expats benefit economically from moving abroad. 90% of expats surveyed stated that their salary had increased since moving overseas.

Expats in Hong Kong are most likely to earn the highest salary, with nearly half of respondents stating that they earn over £100,000 a year. Singapore also holds a top position in the expat earnings ranking table.

This week Canada celebrates Citizenship Week. The celebration will involve citizenship ceremonies across Canada enabling hundreds of people to become Canadian Citizens.

Jason Kenney, Canada’s Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister stated: ‘Canadian citizenship is highly valued. Citizenship Week 2009 is an opportunity for all Canadians to celebrate our citizenship. It is a time to reflect on what it means to be a Canadian and to be grateful for the rights and freedoms that we enjoy. We should also take this opportunity to acknowledge our responsibilities to our country and to our communities large and small’.

The aim of Citizenship week is to encourage all Canadians to think about the significance of being a Canadian citizen and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Minister Kenney reinforced this in a statement, stating that: ‘The theme of Citizenship Week 2009 is Our Citizenship. We want all Canadians to recognize that, no matter where you came from, when you become a Canadian citizen, Canadian history becomes your history and Canadian values become your values’.

According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the UK population is set to rise from 61 million to 71.6 million by 2033. It is predicted that the main cause of this increase will be migration. It is assumed that there will be a net increase in migration (i.e. more immigrants than emigrants). Over the next 25 years, 55% of the population increase is projected to be due to natural increase (i.e. more births than deaths) and 45% is projected net migration. However, future numbers of births and deaths are dependent on migration in the future so therefore over two-thirds of the projected total increase in the UK population is expected to be either directly or indirectly due to migration.

England and Northern Ireland are expected to have the greatest population increase at 7%, whereas Wales is predicted to experience growth at a slightly slower rate. Scotland has the lowest projected increase at 4%.

The new report also predicts a continuation of the trend towards an ageing population, with the number of people over 65 expected to increase to 23% of the population.

UK TV programme, GMTV, have recently launched a feature which explores the reasons why people in the UK make the decision to leave home and move to Australia. The feature, entitled ‘Destination Down Under’, involved presenter Ben Sheppard reporting from Australia earlier this month. The videos of the presenter’s travels are still available to view on the GMTV website. The video footage contains interviews with British expats to find out why they swapped life in the UK for Australia.

There is also a new section on the GMTV website dedicated to moving to Australia. Information on the website includes Australian city guides, information on schools and house prices, climate, Australian cooking and food and other useful information. There is also advice on emigration and the various visa options available. There is even a quiz to test your knowledge of Australian culture and history! Another section which many people might find interesting is a section on dangerous animals and creatures to look out for whilst in Australia.

According to the Longitudinal Immigration Survey (lisNZ) undertaken in New Zealand, a relaxed pace of life is the most common reason for migrants to move to New Zealand. The second most common reason is climate and a clean, green environment and the third is to provide a better future for children.  Other factors high in the list included friendly people, safety from crime, to join family already living in New Zealand and employment opportunities.

The fact that moving to a clean, green environment was the second most important factor for migrants correlates with the global trend for eco-migration. Many people are moving to countries such as New Zealand which are perceived to be safer from climate change effects. Fears of global warming and associated rising sea levels are causing many people to start planning for the future and taking action now. New Zealand’s environmental credentials are well known and the New Zealand government and associated Ministries such as the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) work hard to achieve and maintain the country’s high environmental standards.

According to Australian immigration statistics, Western Australia is the most popular state for British migrants moving to Australia. Over 7000 British citizens moved there in 2007/08. This could be due to the fact that there is a strong expat community in Perth. The shorter flight distance and closer time difference could also be factors.    

Western Australia is the largest state in Australia but less than 10% of the country’s population live there i.e. less than 2 million people. Most people living in the state live in Western Australia’s capital city, Perth. Perth is known for its relaxed lifestyle and many beaches and parks for residents and visitors to enjoy. Perth also has more restaurants per capita than any other Australian city.

Queensland, known as the ‘sunshine state’, is the second most popular destination for British expats after Western Australia. Other common migration destinations for the British include New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.

Italy has been chosen by the Conde Nast Reader Travel Awards as ‘Best Destination’ in the world. Readers voted the country as having the best food/restaurants, culture and climate. Italy has now won the title three times since 2001. New Zealand is in second place, a fall of one place as the country previously topped the poll last year. In third place was Turkey, followed by Australia and France.

Previous winners of the ‘Best Destination’ category in the travel awards include India, the US, and Australia. Sydney was voted as the Best Overseas City in the world. The Readers Travel award also includes awards for best airline, airport, cruise line, hotel, spa, tour operator and villa rental company.

Other countries scored highly in certain areas, for example Kenya was voted as best value for money, Brazil received a high score for people and hospitality and South Africa was voted for as the place with the most variety of attractions.

Jason Kenney, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister in Canada, announced changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Programme last week.  Amendments include a more rigorous assessment of job offers and tougher regulations against employers who employ temporary workers and then fail to provide promised work conditions and pay. The names of employers prohibited from hiring temporary foreign workers will be published on the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration website. Another change is that a new measure will be introduced to limit the length that a foreign worker can stay in Canada.

Jason Kenney also stated: ‘temporary foreign workers play an important role in the Canadian economy, we have a duty to them, employers and all Canadians, to ensure that the program is fair and equitable’.

The temporary foreign worker programme is used as a method of filling short-term labour shortages in Canada. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration claim that the new measures are an attempt to improve the integrity of the programme.

A new immigration advisory council has been created in Australia in order to assist the Australian government with immigration issues. The Council for Immigration Services and Status Resolution will hold its first meeting on the 21^st October. The new council replaces the Immigration Detention Advisory Group, which was previously responsible for providing information and advice on the quality of detention centres and immigration facilities in Australia. The purpose of the new council is to provide independent advice on immigration policy issues.

The new council was announced today by the Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), Chris Evans. He stated: ‘the Government’s focus is on resolving the immigration status of people quickly and fairly while ensuring they are treated humanely and with dignity and respect. The council will provide independent advice on policies, services and programs to achieve timely, fair and effective resolution of immigration status for people seeking asylum or other migration outcomes in Australia’.

The date of the issuing of thousands of identity cards for skilled migrants coming to the UK has been put forward to January 2010. The cards were previously due to be rolled out in April 2010.

Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary said: ‘identity cards have been issued to 90,000 foreign nationals, exceeding our target by 15,000, a month ahead of schedule. By speeding up the roll-out of the cards, more people will benefit from a secure and simple way to prove they are entitled to live, work or study here and it will prevent those here illegally from benefiting from the privileges of Britain.

A trial is also being launched with the Post Office which will test a scheme whereby foreign workers can register their fingerprints for the identity cards. Speaking about the trial system with the Post Office, Alan Johnson stated: ‘our partnership with the Post Office will provide vital extra capacity enabling the UK Border Agency to further speed up the enrolment process. It will also give more choice and convenience to migrants about where they can enroll.’

Identity cards for foreign nationals were introduced in November 2008 for migrants outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland. The objective of the card is to allow skilled migrants to access entitlements and services and to prevent illegal immigration. Identity cards will eventually be available to all UK citizens from 2012. Identity cards contain biometric data such as fingerprints, as well as other identity information.