According to the latest results of an annual survey by estate agents Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank has confirmed that London and New York are still the main financial centres in the world although a few Asian cities are beginning to gain some ground.

The research report, entitled ‘Wealth Report 2009 – World Cities Survey’ was commissioned by both companies in order to establish a ranking order of the world’s leading cities. Four criteria were considered to create a hierarchy of world cities: economic activity, political power, knowledge and influence and quality of life. In total, 40 of the world’s major cities were evaluated for the survey.

London received high scores in all of the four criteria placing it in first place in terms of global influence, slightly above New York.  In terms of each of the criteria, New York is top for economic activity, Washington is number one for political power, Toronto offers the best quality of life and London is the best place for knowledge and influence.

Knight Frank Head of Residential Research, Liam Bailey commented on the rise of Asian cities in terms of world influence:

 “ We expect many Asian cities to move further up the rankings as they start to build the physical and non-physical infrastructure needed to become a truly global city.”

 The key Asian cities showing rapid growth include Shanghai and Hong Kong. These cities are likely to become the new destinations for business talent and it is likely there will be increasing numbers of people moving overseas there in the future.

Knight Frank and the Institute of Public Policy and Research (IPPR) have released statistics about house prices in the top five British expatriate destinations. The results may be of interest to people planning on moving overseas to the locations mentioned below and are as follows:

In Australia, house prices increased by 6.2% in 2009. Australia is the only country out of the top five expat destinations to have experienced a house price increase. This is largely due to government initiatives such as the First Home Owner Grant and high population growth fuelling demand. Although it is positive that Australia has avoided the housing market crash experienced in other countries, there is a risk that if house prices keep increasing, housing will become unaffordable for many people. This will be negative for Australia from a social perspective.

In the US, house prices have decreased by 9.4% in 2009. This is the largest decrease out of the top five destinations analysed in this study which is to be expected seeing as the US experienced the worst housing market crash.

House prices in Spain have also fallen by a significant amount, 8% last year. Many British nationals living in Spain are selling up due to the favourable exchange rate of the euro against the pound but many are finding it difficult to sell in the tough marketplace due to a lack of buyers. It is a similar situation in France where properties have reduced in value by 8% also. Canadian house prices are the least affected out of the five countries with a 1.8% decrease.

British residents living in Andalucia, Spain are to benefit from a dedicated Civil Servant. Duties of the newly appointed Andalucian Civil Servant will include providing advice and guidance to residents including information on healthcare, registration and property.The announcement was made last month by Chris Bryant, UK Minster for Europe at the British Consulate in Malaga.

Property advice will be particularly valuable in this region due to recent threats that some properties are to be demolished due to the fact that developers had not obtained the appropriate planning permission before construction began. This is affecting many British homeowners in Spain who have already purchased and are living in properties which have been issued with demolition orders.

Andalucia is a popular destination for UK expats, in particular it is a common place for British couples to retire. There are currently thousands of British nationals living in Andalucia, mainly in the coastal regions, who will be able to take advantage of this new service. People considering moving to Andalucia may also benefit from this scheme.

John Mason advertisement for overseas removals from 1963 depicting a lady in a shipping container with her household effects.

The winners of The Telegraph ‘Best of British Awards’ have been announced. The competition was an attempt to find the best establishments located in British expat communities around the world. The winners were voted for by readers of the Telegraph Expat section. The winners are as follows:

Best British Shop

English Pork Pie Company, West Senaca, USA

Best British Business Club

British Business Group Dubai and Northern Emirates, Dubai, UAE

Best British Sporting Club

Mad Dogs Cricket Club, Greenwich, New York, USA

Best British Pub / Bar

The Tudor Arms, Stockholm, Sweden

Best British Restaurant

Neema Crafts Centre, Iringa, Tanzania

Best British Social Club

The British Club, Manama, Bahrain

The Telegraph Expat section have now launched a new prize draw called the ‘World’s Best Places to Live’. The new competition aims to find the best locations to buy overseas property.

If you are planning an international removal to Australia, you may be keeping up do date with the immigration debate occurring in the country at the moment. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced last year that he supported a vision of a ‘Big Australia’, meaning that he believes that explosive population growth would be a positive thing for the country.

The issue has divided Australia and has reignited the immigration debate. It seems that most members of the Australian population do not agree to Rudd’s vision of expansive population growth. Concerns over housing provision and house prices, overcrowding and environmental impacts are top of people’s worries about mass immigration.

On the other hand, many demographers point out that large scale migration is needed for the future in order to fund the retirement of the baby boomer generation. Furthermore, many businesses in Australia are fearful of labour shortages which could damage industries. Most business owners and managers agree that skilled migration and international relocation assignments are needed for the economic recovery and are absolutely vital for future economic growth. The Business Council of Australia (BCA) have made it clear on their opinion on the matter. The BCA President, Graham Bradley, has stated that there are many economic and social benefits to population growth in addition to counteracting the problems of an ageing problem. He also drew attention to the need for immigration and international relocation to Australia to fill skill gaps in the Australian labour market.

Some Australians favour population growth but believe there should be a population cap of 30 million. The current population of Australia stands at 22 million and is expected to grow to 36 million by 2050.  A recent survey by the Lowy Institute, an international policy think tank, found that 69% of people were in favour of the 30 million limit.

The issue of immigration and optimum population in Australia is complex but one thing is clear though and that is that immigration policy will be a key issue in the upcoming elections which are to be held later this year.

A British couple from Devon have achieved what must be a world record for local and international moving. In the 36 years since they met, they have moved house 87 times!

The two former pub and restaurant owners, who have been named the ‘nomad’ couple by the local press, have moved on average once every five months since they first met each other in Salcombe, Devon. Most of the properties they lived in were rented properties and included caravans, boats, pubs, flats and even a van!

Their moves include international removals also including a period living overseas in Greece, the Canary Islands and Cyprus. The couple have now decided to remain in Devon however as their daughter is settled in school there.

The UK Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) have issued independent recommendations for changes to Britain’s Shortage Occupations List after a partial review. It has been recommended that community pharmacists should be added to the list (i.e. those that work for private chemists rather than for the National Health Service). A further proposal is that orchestral musician posts should be removed from the list apart from jobs for principals of internationally known UK orchestras.

MAC undertake partial reviews of the Occupation Shortage List every six months in order to provide independent advice to the UK Border Agency. Their objective is to analyse the needs of the economy in order to discover where migration could fill in skill gaps or labour requirements. A full review of the shortage occupation list is due to be published bythe MAC in Autumn of this year.

A recent report on international education has been announced in Australia. The Baird Report is a statement of recommendations concerning students who have moved overseas or who are moving overseas to Australia. It was commissioned by the Australian Department of Education and has been authored by former Australian MP, Bruce Baird.

The recommendations for international education include increasing regulations to protect overseas students and also the provision of a safe haven for the students to go if they are suffering from racial abuse or prejudices.

Baird also raised concerns about educational establishments taking advantage of international students, charging a lot of money for a poor educational experience and failing to include overseas students in social programmes. It was estimated in the report that around 20% of educational institutions in Australia are guilty of financial exploitation of foreign students.

Baird recently made a speech to outline the recommendations from the report. In his speech, Baird also condemned the recent attacks on Indian students, emphasising how important it was that Australia’s reputation as a safe and tolerant society is not damaged by further attacks.   

The recommendations, if carried out, will be welcome news for people currently studying in Australia or for anyone thinking about studying in Australia in the future.

Ken began his career as a junior in an accountancy office but it wasn’t long before he moved on to work for the large British chemical company ICI. Whilst here, he studied and obtained his professional qualifications in accounting from the University of Manchester. Ken’s financial skills were then snapped up by Pickfords Moving and Storage where he spent time increasing his knowledge and honing his skills before moving to international removals company John Mason International in 1997.

Since joining John Mason, Ken’s valuable contribution as a reliable and efficient financial director is well respected and valued within the company. Ken is married with one son who is currently studying at Missouri Valley College, USA.