Despite the high standards of medical facilities in the US, healthcare can still be very costly in comparison to most developed countries, and the system can be quite confusing for expats. By Cigna Global A comprehensive health cover is essential for expatriates relocating to the US in order to avoid colossal hospital bills. Anyone without...

Recent research suggests that only 16% of UK insurance companies offer life insurance products to British citizens living abroad. This was a substantial reduction from the previous year’s figure of 33% and indicates that British expats are now struggling to find adequate life insurance to meet their needs. Also in the survey, by insurance advisers...

A new independent estimate of world oil reserves has been released by Rystad Energy, showing that the US now holds more recoverable oil reserves than both Saudi Arabia and Russia. For the US, more than 50% of remaining oil reserves is unconventional shale oil. Texas alone holds more than 60 billion barrels of shale oil,...

A new service aims to offer expert tax advice at a time when expats and non-UK domiciles are digesting what ‘Brexit’ could mean for them. Over the coming months and years, this demand is likely to increase as more detail emerges on the potential legislative changes. Tax planning for expats and non-UK domiciles has...

Contractors in the UK, or using UK structures while abroad, should consider how they might be adversely affected by new laws on managed service company providers. The UK taxman previously found it extremely difficult to enforce the old IR35 rules on personal service companies being used by contractors, say experts at Capital Consulting. So MSC...

A new online tool is designed to help skilled workers in the oil and gas sectors find job opportunities in the wider UK engineering sector, supported by the pipeline of large energy and infrastructure projects, according to the UK government. The existing Talent Retention Solution scheme, which is used by over 1,000 companies in the...

From 1 April 2016, the UK taxman introduced a new higher rate of stamp duty which applies to the acquisition of a ‘major interest’ in an additional residential ‘dwelling’. So beware if you are buying property in the UK. A ‘major interest’ is defined as a freehold or leasehold interest, says Adam Thompson, tax manager...

Following the UK referendum in June, there is considerable uncertainty surrounding how the vote to leave the EU will affect employers and employees who work internationally. While nothing is certain at present, says Anne-Marie Welch of tax specialists RSM, there are a number of tax issues to consider for UK employers who are either sending...

Hong Kong tops the list of most expensive cities for expatriates, pushing Luanda, Angola to second position. Zurich and Singapore remain in third and fourth positions, respectively, whereas Tokyo is in fifth, up six places from last year. Kinshasa, ranked sixth, appears for the first time in the top 10, moving up from thirteenth place....

On Friday 24 June the UK woke up to the news that the country had voted to leave the European Union by a majority of almost four percentage points. After seemingly buying into the belief that the Remain camp would ultimately emerge victorious, currency markets, particularly the pound, quickly reversed course as the tide of...

The Bank of England has quickly responded to financial questions raised by the UK’s referendum result on leaving the EU, in a handy Q&A format. What do any financial market movements after the vote mean? The economy will need to adjust to whatever new trading relationships are put in place in the future. These decisions...

Canada offers citizens and permanent residents a universal public health insurance scheme known as Medicare. The quality of medical services in Canada is typically highly regarded and known for its remarkable standards of treatment and professionals. But what provisions have been made for expats in the country? By Cigna Global Expats living in Canada without...