Ester Rodrigues

Living abroad as an expat might bring its benefits and opportunities, but when it comes to the end of the year, some general concerns arise over Christmas and New Year's celebrations. Where to go? With whom should one celebrate? But now, amidst the pandemic, it is more challenging: will expats be able to go back to their home countries or travel for tourism?

Christmas is a special and expected holiday for many to be around family and friends, but also for eating well with traditional foods. From turkey to sprouts, and chicken stews to pan d'épices – whatever festive feast expats are cooking this Christmas, they might be looking to eat, drink and be merry with local festive recipes, or they will even fancy trying international ones. Therefore, we compiled 7 Christmas dishes ideas for expats with alternatives for vegans. 

In 2021, the expat population in Saudi Arabia is 13.49 million and is very diverse, with various ethnic and linguistic groups from Asia, Europe, and America. Yet, while trying to retain the highest talents, the country remains very selective when it comes to immigration.

Canada is considered one of the best countries for expats to live abroad. It has a stable economy, politics combined with the quality of life. Canada has a high human development category (HDI), 16th out of 189 countries in 2019. However, the dream of many expats of moving to Canada can be challenged as the system for categorizing occupations, the National Occupational Classification (NOC), will change its occupation classification by Fall 2022. 

As millions of US citizens are taking their booster dose at home, some American expats are looking for their first vaccine against the coronavirus abroad. Unfortunately, many countries still need vaccines or put expats at the end of the line. 

Moving abroad requires a lot of energy, optimism, self-confidence, and independence. While it can be one of the most adventurous life decisions of a person, it comes with a long list of stressors. That is to say, the dream to live abroad as an expat can turn into a nightmare when the end of the year comes around.

The United States administration recently settled a new police guidance for spouses of immigrant visa holders, clearing them for work. H1B, E-visa and L-visa holders spouses are allowed to have up to 180 days auto extension on work authorization. 

Moving abroad usually takes a lot of challenging steps, like learning another language. Expats who are interested in studying or working abroad might have companies and institutions requiring a language proficiency test if they aren't native speakers of the new country's language.

Oman, an Asian country in the Arabic Peninsula, rich for its unique heritage, ancient history and culture, has been drawing attention lately for its easy immigrant regulations, as the Sultanate government grants special residency to expat investors and their families.

Developing countries host more than one-third of international migrants in the world. Most of them are migrant workers and are employed either formally or more often informally in their countries of destination. But, let's address some misconceptions about immigrants and expats critically: immigration and expatriation are good for countries, communities, and economies. 

Working abroad as a self-employed can sound like a dream: being your own boss, you can get to know a new country as you work at a cool coffee shop and organize your schedule. There are a lot of positive points about working as a freelancer in another country: you're more passionate about what you do, there's more space for creativity, and the experience also calls for being an entrepreneur, as you can hire someone to work with you according to your needs. 

In an era of reaffirmation of identities, thriving cultures have been recognizing and integrating no binary and LGBTQIA+ people through social politics, laws, and cultural representation. From a critical gender perspective, some countries are acknowledging not only two sexes (men/women), but a plurality of them, expanding the possibilities of gender and sexual orientation. 

After the exodus caused by the riots, more expats are now choosing to leave Hong Kong due to the frustration over the city's Coronavirus restrictions and lack of a clear reopening plan. Hong Kong has embraced a strategy that emphasises social distancing, limiting travel and shutting most non-residents out, except when coming from China and Macao. Expats and even locals arriving in the city have to contend with one of the world's longest quarantines, paying to isolate in a hotel room for up to three weeks.

A recent measure from a Colorado district court may lead to negative consequences for US expatriates and those seeking to live and work abroad without renouncing their US citizenship. Is it fair if American expats have their income taxed as if it were earned in the US?

Expenses such as moving, settling down, renting or buying a new place, insurances and the cost of studies are usually some major concerns for international expats. However, travellers might be surprised to know that in relation to salaries, the cost of food can be a new challenge when considering a country to live abroad, as food prices are increasing worldwide amidst an economic crisis worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many international students and researchers are afraid of not being able to pursue their dreams to study abroad, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions for travelling and issuing documents as visas.